Life and Times of Jason Weir
by Lady Lemons
Summary: Elizabeth finds out she's pregnant but who is the father? Interesting times ahead for her and her child. How will this affect things on Atlantis? What kind of mischief will he get into? Does the apple fall far from the tree?
1. Chapter One: Ooops

Chapter One: Ooops

Summary: Dr. Weir finds out she's pregnant. Fic chronicles the life of her child and gives a bts look at the events on Atlantis.

a/n: I know I have a wip out already, but I have been mulling over this idea for about two and a half weeks now and I really wanted to post it. Hey, I'll try and stick to my 'update at least once a week rule.' Although I think this one might be easier for me to update faster, plus I already have part of it written out. Oh and I totally had a different name for the story, but I got this random Brittany Spear song stuck in my head yesterday morning and I changed to title because it just made me laugh more. (Originally called 'Little Teapots have Big Ears')

_Atlantis Infirmary:_

Dr. Elizabeth Weir was sitting on the edge of an infirmary bed waiting patiently, but her patience was starting to wear a little bit thin. This was supposed to be her routine physical; however Dr. Beckett was taking forever for some reason. He must realize that she had a plethora of other things she could be doing at the moment instead of chilling out in the infirmary waiting for test results that would only prove that she was fine. Why couldn't she leave and he could tell her over the comm. later? She was seriously considering pulling a leaf out of Sheppard's book and attempting to sneak out when she heard the soft footfalls of the good doctor returning.

She immediately noticed something was up by the way that he was walking slowly and not smiling. What could possibly be wrong though? She hadn't gone off world in about a month and nothing serious had happened to her on the city, so she was at a loss for what could even remotely be a problem.

Carson came over and sat down next to her on the bed. "Love," he began slowly, "First of all you are fine, and all of your test results are great."

Ok, this was odd, what was he keeping from her. She wasn't stupid; if everything was fine he wouldn't have taken so long and wouldn't be dancing around the subject now. She knew enough of people to see when they were holding something back.

"Carson, what aren't you telling me?" She asked giving him the 'no nonsense' look. This had worked many times before in negotiations, and she was sure it wouldn't fail her now.

He looked very uncomfortable now, "Elizabeth, I don't know how to say this, but you are pregnant." Carson looked at her now with a searching look.

Whoa, this news was not what she was expecting to hear from him. She sank down into the mattress of the bed, going into a total slouch mode. _Ok, _she thought to herself, _they had finally taken their relationship to the next level about three weeks ago. Damn, that was quick. Crap, how was he going to take it? Neither of them had planned on kids yet. I mean come on; they were both very prominent figures of this expedition. Hell, she was in charge of him and everyone else on this base. This wasn't supposed to happen. They had kept their relationship as under wraps as possible, but this would definitely bring it out into the open, especially nine months from now. Aw crud they really didn't need more complications and distractions._

Carson had been watching Elizabeth very carefully as she let the news sink in. She seemed to accept it, but he still had to ask since it didn't appear that she was in a relationship _that_ serious, but still. "Now, you did have some part in this? There isn't some funky alien thing that made this happen right love?"

Elizabeth had to laugh at that, "Um, yeah, nope I did have a part in this, but thanks Carson."

Wow, he was so kind to her. This did confirm her doubts; they had done a good job of keeping it all secret. Well, up till now of course.

Dr. Beckett was not done yet, "Well, then I am going to need to know who the father is and all of us are going to need to have a serious talk since this is going to pose several issues. Tests are also going to need to be run, and..".

She put up her hand to stop him. "Yes, Carson," Elizabeth said, "We can do all of that, however I will need to talk to the baby's father. I am not quite sure how he is going to react to this; neither of us were planning on anything happening quite so fast. Can you not speak a word of this to anyone until we both come back for a chat?"

"Of course love, just make sure the two of you are in to see me by the end of the week," he replied. "And Elizabeth, congrats!"

With that she gracefully hoped off the bed and left the infirmary. As Carson watched her go he could not help but wonder who the father was. He had a pretty good idea, but wasn't completely sure. There seemed to be several relationships blossoming under the radar, but this was going to be the first child to be born on the city since their arrival. However, he couldn't stop the fear of what was going to happen to Dr. Weir and her partner in crime in the way of punishment. After all, this was sort of frowned upon. But then again, the SGC had to admit that this was a city and its inhabitants were removed from normal down time and family life, so why shouldn't they be able to create their own? Oh well, he sighed, a baby was a cause for celebration no matter what, and nothing could ruin that. Hey, maybe more might follow now that Dr. Weir had broken the ice; she was the head of the city after all.

o0o

_Atlantis: Dr. Weir's Office_

Elizabeth paced nervously in her office. What was she going to say? How would she tell him that 'oops she was pregnant and he was the dad'? She knew he loved her and she him, but she had always thought that she would be married before something like this would happen? Well, no matter what, she would take care of the baby. It would be loved; he would have to love it. Worse case she could always make it an order. That got a silent laugh out of her at the stupidity of that thought.

But he was just so much immature himself at times, how would he take this news? She sighed; she still had a couple of hours to plan her next move since he was off world currently on a mission. She sat back down at her desk and tried to read the mission reports that she knew she should be reading, but her thoughts kept going back to the child that was growing inside of her. Her child, _their child._

_a/n: Hee hee. I really like this one. I knew there are tons of fics out their about the expedition members having kids and all, but I wanted to try my hand at it. Man, I jut sort of realized that all my fics tend to start out from Elizabeth's pov. That's kinda weird, oh well! Million dollar ? So who is the father? Hee hee hee! Tune in next time to find out!_


	2. Chapter Two: dun Dun DUN

Chapter Two: dun Dun DUN

a/n: Alright, due to the protests I have gotten in my 5 reviews (Thank you soooooo much) I am making myself sit down and do the next chapter so as not to encounter the wrath of my readers. Yep so here it is.

Atlantis: Gateroom

Dr. Weir was drawn out of her musings to the sound of the gate activating. It was Atlantis's premier offworld team, and for once it seemed that all was well. They weren't requesting medical care, back up, or alerting them that they were coming in under fire. This was a rarity because this team always seemed to find trouble where ever they went. Their exploits were legendary on the city, but they always managed to pull through and save the day no matter what.

She waited at the top of the stairs for the team to arrive. One, two, three, and four, she watched all of them waltz through the gate with what appeared to be smiles on their faces. She deduced that the trading mission had been a success. However, as she looked at the figure of her lover, all her apprehension and nervousness came rushing back. She did have to let herself smile though as their conversation continued without interruption as they stepped out of the gate.

"She was obviously smitten with you Kirk, that's the only explanation for why they were willing to trading with us because we all know your negotiation skills suck Sheppard!" McKay snarked as the walked away from the gate which shut down as he finished speaking.

"She was not _smitten_ with me. They liked what we had to offer and we liked what they had to offer. So it was a win-win situation," Sheppard replied with a roll of the eyes. "Hey what do you mean my negotiation skills suck? Hello this is coming from Mr. Are we done yet? I'm hungry, I want to go home."

McKay laughed at that, "Oh yeah, at least it's not because of me that we end up running into trouble wherever we go because of _someone,_ who shall remain nameless, whose middle name is trouble with a capital T!" He looked pointedly at John.

Dr. Weir laughed to her self and thought; _at least he's in a good mood._ But now it was time to discipline the children. At least she was already pretty good at that. This would come in handy later on probably though.

"Alright gentlemen, I take it that this mission went well. Why don't you go visit Carson and then we can debrief in about three hours or so."

The team nodded in assent and headed for the infirmary, well it appeared that way. Elizabeth sighed and turned back to her office. She mentally banged her head against her desk once she was seated. She was so weak, how in the world would she tell him? It was going to be so awkward; she just didn't want to ruin everything. Their relationship was just getting really good. Ahh headdesk for one rare time in her life, Elizabeth Weir was unsure of just how to go about having this conversation that would change everything for the both of them.

o0o

Atlantis: Science Labs

Rodney McKay hated the infirmary with a passion. He hated needles, over protective doctors, and especially all of their voodoo witch doctor practices. He hardly thought medical science could be compared on the same level as real science, his science.

So instead of going to the infirmary to get his mandatory post mission check up with the rest of his team, he had slunk off to his lab to check up on a couple of very important projects of his. He was fine, so why did he have to waste his time having to get looked at to have Carson say the same thing forty minutes later. His time could be much better spent working on 'really important stuff'. However Carson didn't seem to agree with him when he called to find out where Rodney was when his team showed up for their exams without him.

One nasty war of words later, McKay found himself ruefully heading for the infirmary. That darn sheep shearing voodoo master was a slave driver at times. He entered the infirmary to find it deserted; his team must have gone already. Go figure, they were not ones to hang around there any longer than what they had to. Rodney looked around and decided to check the good doctor's office to see if he was there. Maybe he'd get lucky and not find Carson thus not having to have his check up.

Nope, he wasn't that lucky. As quiet as he could possibly be, Rodney tip toed up behind Carson to see what he was doing and began reading over the man's shoulder out loud.

"'The A,B,C's of a Loving Male Role Model', Parenting for Dummies, Our First Baby, Mommy hood 101, Carson did you and Cadman take it to the next level in your relationship or something?" McKay asked scaring the crap out of the good doctor.

"Bloody hell Rodney how did you get there?" he replied pretty startled. He breathed slowly and said, "Heck no, these are not for me thank you very much. I was looking these up on the database from earth for Dr.. oops. I've already said too much." Carson looked beside himself for almost revealing Elizabeth's secret. That would never do.

Rodney was interested now, "Dr. Who? There's a doctor here on Atlantis who is pregnant? Come on tell!"

However, Dr. Beckett wasn't going to say anymore, "No, not another word about it. If she wants to tell you then fine, I'll do no such thing. Now not another word or I'll break out the big needles and this will be the worst physical you have ever had."

At that Rodney had to admit defeat, for he wasn't going to get anything out of Carson. He spent the whole time wondering who it could be. He had several ideas, and by the time he was done he had decided that he was going to find out. This was too good not to know about.

o0o

Atlantis: Weir's office (evening)

Dr. Weir walked back into her office after listening to the latest discoveries from the science labs. She had had to reschedule her debrief with Sheppard's team for the following morning (oh darn she so didn't want to face HIM right now because he'd know something was up). The scientists had gone on and on. By now it was getting rather late, and she still had so much work to do. She sat down at her computer to find an open word document with a little message written in it: _Meet me for dinner at the usual time and place (NO Exceptions your work will still be there later) ;D._

Crud, crud, crud. She looked at her watch, dang she had a half an hour to go get ready. There was no way she could back out of this now, it was the best chance to get it over with and tell him the news.

Elizabeth shut down her computer and left her office to go get ready in her quarters for dinner. She took a deep breath and mentally steeled herself. It wasn't like anyone had died; this was a good thing, right? Then why was she so scared?

o0o

Atlantis: Random Hallway

Rodney was headed for the mess to get some dinner. He was so hungry but had surprisingly not noticed because he had been in the middle of some serious calculations. He finally couldn't take it anymore and needed food. By now he figured most of the expedition would be finishing up so he had brought his data pad along to get some work done.

He was actually looking down at it going over his numbers when he collided with another person who seemed equally wrapped up in their own thoughts.

Rodney immediately noticed the bag of 'something' that John Sheppard was carrying. However, the million dollar question was what was in it. The bag was poky and something suspiciously looking like candles was sticking out the end. The colonel quickly reached down and shoved the stuff back in.

"Walk much McKay?" Sheppard drawled sarcastically.

Rodney huffed and said, "I could say the same thing about you? What got a hot date or something similar tonight Kirk?"

"Yeah 'or something like that'," John replied, "At least I have dinner plans with something other than my laptop thank you very much. So if you'll excuse me, I'll be leaving now." He gave Rodney a mock salute and started to head down the hall.

"Stupid fly-boy kirks," Rodney muttered angrily.

Surprisingly Sheppard replied, "I heard that," as he continued down the hall.

McKay shouted back, "Good!"

Rodney started to leave, but turned around to watch him go. Hmm, candles? Was it for a celebration? Did Kirk actually do some damage? But who? Rodney considered all of these as he made his way to the mess. Hmm, weird things were going on around here, and he was going to figure out what. It couldn't be that hard, he was a genius after all.

o0o

Atlantis: Dr. Weir's Quarters

Dr. Weir had used her twenty minutes to its full extent getting ready. She had put extra effort into getting ready. Usually she didn't try too hard because she didn't want to attract suspicion, but sooner or later everyone was going to find out anyway so she really didn't care too much. Right now she needed the confidence boost. She was wearing a nice green sweater and black knee length skirt and heels. The skirt swayed when she moved; yep it was like a bell. Wow, she had seen _Runaway _Bride too many times. Yep, she looked pretty good she thought as she headed out of her room. She looked down at her watch, ok, five minutes to get there. She took a deep breath, _I can do this. I have brokered so many hard treaties I can certainly share the good news that I am pregnant right? Oh my god. Ahhh!_

As she walked down the halls she really did not encounter anyone. Most people were at dinner now. This was a plus for her in that nobody would see her and wonder where she was going. She had thought this too soon, for when she turned a corner she saw Rodney approaching with his head buried in a data pad, he was going to walk straight into a wall.

"Rodney, look out," she said catching his attention.

He looked up suddenly and saw the wall, "Oh, thanks Elizabeth," he said looking at her, "Whoa, where are you headed off to?"

He saw her blush as she passed him and she replied, "Oh ah, dinner."

He turned back and smirked at her and said, "Well, you look nice."

She had started to walk away, "Shut up Rodney!"

Hmm. That was another thing he had to add to his list of odd behavior and things to ponder. This ever growing list would have to wait while he ate though, he was still starving!

TBC

a/n: Ok I think I pretty much gave it away, but I need to end this chapter here cuz I have a ton of other hw to do. Sorry, I am evil I know. Elizabeth WILL break it to 'him' next chapter for sure. Thanks for the lovely reviews though. Here is a giant e chocolate brownie for you ( nemoette, SuperRainbowMuffin, Dragon-Raptor, Vickysg1, and KTarra) you all made me get this next chapter out way ahead of schedule! But hey we got a ton of snow today so if I get outta school tomorrow you can totally expect another long chapter! Hee hee! (Oh and in an effort to get this out faster I have no beta so all mistakes are 100 my fault.)


	3. Chapter Three: The Chat

a/n: Wow, apparently I am just this evil evil person for leaving you guys hanging last chapter. I am sorry though. I am so not good at this whole subtly thing, so I thought I had given everything up for the most part, but I promise you WILL find out this chapter though. (although many of you were really close to the truth through your guessing. But I had to laugh at some of you for second guessing yourselves. Hee hee. I am soo bad) Ugg, nobody got my 'Major Payne' quote! If you haven't seen it, I highly recommend it! It's great really.

Now, on with the story:

Chapter Three: The Chat

Atlantis?

He looked down at his watch. _She was late. If she didn't show up in the next ten minutes he would hunt her down if he had to. There couldn't be anything wrong otherwise someone would have filled him in. So it was likely that she was still working, that was so her style. But if so, then she would've had to have gotten his message to meet him. It was their little mini tradition after all._ They had been meeting for dinner after he had gotten back from a mission for two months now. Granted most times it was just in the mess, so that they would not draw too much attention by both disappearing together. Yep, they had tried really hard to keep their relationship under wraps. No PDA, little to no flirty in public, and lately whenever he went to stay the night he had to take a lifesigns detector with him to make sure that he didn't run into anyone on his way to and from her room. Yep, they were very cautious. Even though they knew that just about everyone on the base probably would not care too much, it was those at the SGC that he didn't want to get suspicious and come down on them. After all what they were doing probably was a little selfish and not quite by the book and would probably be frowned upon.

He readjusted a few things as the door opened to reveal his date. _Damn_, he thought, _she dressed up tonight_. Elizabeth walked in wearing a nice sweater and skirt instead of just coming in her regular work clothes. This made him wonder what the special occasion was. _Did he miss another memo or something? It wasn't like it was their three month anniversary or something _he'd gotten dumped for forgetting that once. _Nope, something was up. He could see it in her face because she looked unsettled and uptight. _

o0o

Atlantis: "Dinner Room"

Elizabeth took a deep breath before walking through the doors to the secret balcony where they liked to meet. The location was perfect because it was out of the way, and they had very little chance of anyone walking in on them. For some reason, balconies were just their thing. The water seemed to have a very calming presence on both of them.

_Oh, god. There he is._ He was standing next to the balcony staring at the sunset. His hair looked so cute too, sticking out at random angles like usual. She thought. _Wow, he had gone out of his way too._ On the floor was a large blanket with a picnic dinner. There were two candles lit in the middle, and their 'table' was set for two. There were also a couple large floor pillows spread out to help counter the effects of the balcony floor. A flower was resting on her plate. _Aww, he was such a hopeless romantic. Crap, how was she going to tell him? Would it change everything?_ He had turned to greet her. She looked up into his hazel eyes and hoped for the best.

He looked back at her and immediately realized that something was up. "Elizabeth, what gives? Something has to be bothering you?"

She let his words wash over her, his tone betraying some of the emotion he felt for her. Then she replied, "Uh, what makes you think that?"

John laughed and shot her a grin and said, "One, you are all dressed up and that hardly ever happens. Hey, you look really good though I might add. Two: you were late. You are never late. I'm the late one usually. Thirdly, you look like you have been sucking on lemons, so spill it. What's up?"

Elizabeth sat down on a pillow placed in front of her seat. Her eyes narrowed and said with a small smile, "I do not look like I have been sucking on lemons thank you very much! And maybe your watch is just fast."

He sat down across from her and looked over at her with his puppy dog face and said, "You still haven't answered my question. You are going to share right? Or do I need to just take all this back and we can go eat in the mess. I mean I have a surprise for you for dessert."

_It was probably chocolate. She was such a sucker for it. A regular chocoholic with little to no will power. Damn, he was too good to her. He was going to make her fat too._

She took a deep breath and looked up at him. He was watching her intently with concern written all over his face. She had to do it.

"Today I had my routine physical from Carson," she began face looking down at the plates. She was absent mindedly playing with the flower. She wondered where he had gotten that. Probably 'borrowed' it from Katie Brown's lab.

He replied saying, "Okkayy? And?" He looked at her searchingly waving his hand for her to continue.

Elizabeth drew up all her mental will, looked him in the eyes, and said it, "John, I'm pregnant."

TBC!

Yep another evil cliffy, I just couldn't resist. So now you all know who, but what's he going to do know that he knows?

Sorry, this is kinda short, but it's all I have time for right now!

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Ok, doing my thanks now (I think it's a little easier than replying to everyone individually so deal with it) Jumbo E-Sugar Cookies for all!

Vickysg1: Wow, you need to follow your initial instincts. Although your second guessing yourself was pretty funny to read. Just remember I am not laughing at you, but with you. (All in good fun, don't hate me). Yep, thanks for both of your reviews and making me write more.

ELVESRULE: I'm not that evil. Eww I am sorry but I can't see Kavanaugh having Elizabeth's baby. That is just so wrong in so many ways! Zelenka, don't get me wrong, he's great but nope, I'm not that evil and twisted either. Thanks for the review, and you do have good common sense (either that or I just suck at hinting at things. We'll go with the first! Hee hee!)

KTarra: Sorry, man everyone who reviewed seems to think I am evil, sniff oh well, at least I am not leaving you hanging for like six chapters. Now THAT would be evil. Thanks for the review!!!

nemoette: Wow, you get the dubious honor of being the first to review so thanks are in order for that, and for making me write more. So ditto on the thanks part as well! I will try to keep more coming on a regular basis.

SV Stormhammer: quails under your fierce glare. You were reading it with ominous dread? What did I succeed in making Rodney be my red herring? I threw all that in to try and steer it away from the real dad cuz I thought I was being all too obvious. Wow, I am touched thanks a ton! Hee hee, I'll try not to be TOO evil from now on. (but I will still be slightly evil so sorry but you'll have to accept that)

Dragon-Raptor: Yep you called it. 'acts immature/on a mission'. Hey Rodney is a baby at times so it could've been him. And I tried to play up the whole potential to freak out thing to try and confuse people. What was with the shudder? I like Rodney (name kinda gives it away, but love love love Shep too) Oh, well thanks for your lovely reviews (plural).

SuperRainbowMuffin: Thanks for being my second reviewer. I totally appreciated the comment a ton! I really wasn't expecting many reviews and it was a nice surprise to get this many. So thanks for being a part of that!

_Whew, that took a while. Thanks also to my slightly under 800 hits for the story as well. I feel so loved wack back to work. I can't let myself get too cocky! Hee hee, hugs all around! Yes, next chapter will be up soon._


	4. Chapter Four: The Name Game

Chapter Four: The Name Game

a/n: Okies, I realize that my last post was woefully inadequate. It was too short and I left you guys with yet another evil cliffy. So I am making it up to you in this chapter. My goal is to get at least 2000 words of actually story in, and try not to end on too big of a cliffy. So here goes nothing (Sorry it took a little longer than I had planned. I wrote the first half Thursday, and finished it today. However I so got sick and feel like crap. Hopefully it didn't effect my writing too much):

Atlantis: Remote Balcony (Evening)

"John, I'm pregnant."

_Pregnant. She was pregnant. Holy crap this was big._

Her words echoed in his head. He looked at her, then he cocked his head, licked his lips (Ok, stupid fan girl but JF is SO cute when he does that!), and replied softly, "Really?"

Elizabeth slowly nodded in confirmation. Wow, he wasn't expecting this. Unbidden a voice freakishly like Rodney's filtered into his head, "_Well, that's what kirking will get you."_

She watched him take the news. He seemed to be taking it rather hard. _Uh oh, he's frowning, this doesn't look good._ "John?"

This seemed to snap him back into reality. "Oh, yeah sorry. Lost in thought."

_I keep having the same problem,_ Elizabeth thought to herself. _Oh, he looked ready to say something again._

He licked his lips again and began, "Uh, I know I am not good at……expressing…..feelings and what not……. And at times I know I can just try to laugh everything off………….but um," _Come on, pull yourself together John,"_We are going to do this together okay? I am going to be there for you every step of the way." He finished looking rather uncomfortable; the expression of feelings was definitely not his forte.

Elizabeth looked visible relieved. She reached over, narrowly avoiding the candles, and hugged him. She buried her head in his chest and let out a small sob.

"Elizabeth, what it is?"

"It's just; I was so worried about how you'd take it. I know I didn't plan on anything like this happening."

"Well, that is one of the potential outcomes of sex that most people do tend to overlook."

She lifted her head and smiled at him, "Are you getting cheeky with me?"

He put on his best innocent face, "Me? No! Whatever gave you that idea?"

"Good, I didn't think so," she replied with a hint of sarcasm.

o0o

Atlantis: Remote Balcony (Wee hours of morning)

Dinner hadn't been as awkward as she had foreseen. It had passed relatively well, and John's surprise turned out to be a large bar of German chocolate. _I won it off of Rodney for kicking his ass in chess_ was how he had explained it. _Typical, _was how she replied but still managed to eat most of it anyway. They _were_ celebrating after all.

Afterwards they had created a mound of pillows and settled down to snuggle together to stargaze. She had her head resting gently on his shoulder, and they each held each other's hand.

"So do we know if it's gonna be a boy or girl?" John had asked her after some time had passed.

"I don't know. I didn't ask Carson when he told me. We do however have to go back together for a parent to doctor meeting," she replied softly. "Although I didn't tell him it was you yet. I was too shocked to reveal much."

"Aww, now we can have some fun with him though, you realize that right?" he replied jokingly.

She reached over and playfully hit him, "You are so bad you know that. What kind of role model are you going to be for our child if you act like that hmm? I don't need two children yet!"

He gave her his wounded puppy dog look, "Hey, just because I know how to have fun does not make me a child. I am proud to say I am not a 'fun sucker' like some people." He looked at her.

She gave him her most serious look, "I am not a fun sucker."

"Nope, you are just a party pooper. 'Every party has a pooper, that's why we invited you…..Elizabeth Weir'," he said in a sing song voice.

"Do you want me to go tell Rodney the good news now? I am sure he would have a few choice things to say to you about a little thing called 'kirking' and the consequences of it," she replied with an evil grin.

"You know what? You are going to make an excellent mother. You already have the guilting thing and war with words down."

She snuggled closer, "Aww glad you think so. Goodness knows I am going to have my hands full with the both of you."

"Thanks, thanks a lot," was all he could say.

They both settled into silence staring up at the vast sky. There were so many stars out there that made it seem so different from what they remembered from their childhoods on Earth. Even though it was greatly different, it was still home; a home that they could now pass on to their child. A little while later John broke the silence again.

"What about Jeremy if it's a boy and Bella if it's a girl?" he asked.

"Or James if it's a boy and Erin if it's a girl. We could call him Jamie," she replied.

"Eww, Jamie is such a girly name for a guy. Sure it's cute when they're like seven, not seventeen," John replied with a snort.

"Alex." That got a no from her.

"But I didn't specify girl or boy," Still 'no' from Elizabeth.

They continued to stare at the sky.

"How about Jordan if it's a guy and Ellen if it's a girl," she asked a little while later.

"Hmm, I like Ellen," John replied, "What about Jason?"

Elizabeth looked over at him, "I like that. Jason if it's a boy or Ellen if it's a girl."

"Okay," he replied, "We could call him Jace for short,"

He turned to look at her, and she smiled back at him.

o0o

Atlantis: Morning

_Control Tower_:

Rodney had just visited Dr. Weir's office to find it empty. He had asked Chuck if he'd seen her yet that morning and he had replied with a negative. He really wanted to find her to show her some new modifications he could make to make their power consumption more efficient. However, she was nowhere to be found.

_Gym_:

Ronon had been waiting at the gym for an hour. Sheppard had not shown up for their usual run, so he had hung around hitting the bag instead. Teyla showed up an hour later to practice with her Bantos rods. She was surprised to find Ronon their so early and questioned him about it. He shared, and she found it odd as well. They both left to find Rodney to see if he knew anything about it.

_McKay's Lab:_

Rodney, ever being a proactive person, wondered why he had not seen Dr. Weir. She had worse sleeping habits than him, and was usually up before more people. _Well, maybe she decided to sleep in for once,_ he thought to himself. Goodness knows she probably deserved it.

Teyla and Ronon came in a short time after looking for the colonel. Rodney quickly denied it saying he had better things to do than to look after wayward flyboys. 'Come to think of it, I haven't seen him since last night when he practically ran me down in the halls," he said to them. He also made one more connection too, _he had seen Dr. Weir slightly after heading off to meet someone looking nicer than usual. Hmm, interesting._

Rodney pulled up a scan of the city with all of the lifesigns marked. He pointed out that both Colonel Sheppard's and Dr. Weir's rooms were empty and therefore were somewhere in the city. However he had no idea how to tell them apart. He pointed this out to Teyla and Ronon who were still there, he had tried to blow them off initial but both knew better than to leave immediately.

Seeing as they were still standing there he said to them, "What if you are so worried try and contact him already!" With that he huffed and tried to go back to his work. Funny thing was this whole thing of both of them missing at the same time was interesting. _Hmm, maybe? Naw! They wouldn't, would they?_

Atlantis: Remote Balcony (morning)

This balcony had one feature in particular that had made it a rather desirable location. It was part of the city that the scanners had not been tweaked to pick up life signs for. Therefore, it was a perfect hideout for them.

John Sheppard was rudely awakened to the sound of his comm.

"Colonel Sheppard, please respond." _Ugg, it was Teyla. Why did she need him this early in the morning?_ He looked down at his watch. _Oh, crap. It was almost 9:30. He had already missed his run with Ronon and his training session with Teyla, not to mention breakfast._

He felt something move next to him. It was Elizabeth. She was waking up and was a little disoriented as well. He was brought out of his musings by his com again.

"John, are you there?" It was Teyla again.

He reached for his comm which had fallen out sometime the previous night and activated it, "Yep, Sheppard here" he said in the most normal voice he could muster, he was still doing the whole wake up thing. That had been a nasty habit when he overslept. He looked over and saw Elizabeth looking at him, taking the whole thing in.

"Oh, good. Ronon and I were a little concerned when you did not show up this morning. It was most uncharacteristic of you," Teyla replied coolly.

"Yeah, I thought maybe you just didn't want me to kick your ass this early in the morning," chimed in Ronon.

"Oh, yeah well I am," he was looking around for some excuse. He couldn't tell the truth of course, it would be too awkward now. "Oh, I just felt like going on a run by myself and got caught up in everything. Sorry. I am headed back now." He lied smoothly hoping they wouldn't read too much into it.

"Oh, alright then. We will see you later then," Teyla replied. He heard her comm. shut off, and then allowed himself to breathe a sigh of relief. Good thing Rodney hadn't called or he probably would have kept asking a million questions giving him grief about the whole thing as well.

He looked back over at Elizabeth and said, "Good morning."

"I can't believe we spent the entire night out here. It is really late so I am going to head out before things get much hairier," she replied.

"Yeah, that would probably be best," he agreed.

She got up slowly, stretched and started to slip her feet into her shoes. She was about to go when he pulled her back into a passionate kiss.

"This is gonna work out ok, alright?" He asked breaking things off for a moment.

"Yep," she kissed him lightly on the lips and headed out the door with a rather large grin plastered over her face. The funny thing was that his face mirrored her own.

o0o

Atlantis Misc:

Throughout the day, anyone who came into contact with the either the head of the expedition or the military leader left the encounter in a very good mood. Their joy was infectious and the feeling over the city was one of great joy and happiness. The city itself was also mirroring John's mood because of his close connection with his genes and all.

Most didn't read too much into it, they attributed it to the successful trading mission that Sheppard's team had been on recently and the lull in danger that they were experiencing. Thankfully, nobody seemed to put two and two together. Well, with the exception of one Rodney McKay who was the only one other than Carson who knew that something was up. However, Rodney being Rodney and not having really great people skills was pretty clueless as well.

o0o

Atlantis: Infirmary

Carson Beckett had been rather shocked to find out that Dr. Weir was pregnant. Out of all of the people on Atlantis, he had not thought that she would be the first; however it was probably a good thing. Now, that she had broken the ice, so to speak, more would likely follow and the city would start to have families populating it, thus making more than an expedition. It was definitely what they needed, in his opinion.

He had gotten an e-mail from Elizabeth that afternoon that was both ambiguous and sneaky: _In regards to my follow-up I am available to meet you later this afternoon. We can all discuss things then._

Yep, she hadn't said too much because the rumor mill was rather active on the city, and Carson tended to leave his laptop all over the place as he worked. She was being cautious.

Around four-thirty Elizabeth walked into the infirmary. Thankfully it was empty save for Carson who was working in his office. There was nobody to be found, not even a nurse.

She walked into the good doctor's office. "Where is everybody Carson?"

Dr. Beckett looked up from his computer and replied, "It was an easy day so gave them all the day off, plus this does give us more privacy. Where is your um partner in crime?"

Elizabeth gave him a nice stare and replied, "He should be here any time now. Late as usual of course."

As if by fate John Sheppard skidded into the infirmary just then. He spotted the two of them in Carson's office and headed over. Carson raised his eyebrows, and Elizabeth nodded. Yep, he couldn't wait until they went public with this, then he could make Radek pay up. Actually a lot of people would profit from this, many supported the two leaders getting together in a serious relationship. He had known that they were close, but this was the first real confirmation he had. The two had done a good job of keeping their relationship under wraps, until now of couse.

John entered and sat down next to Elizabeth, "So……what'd I miss? What Carson are you laughing at us?"

In truth, Dr. Beckett did find the whole thing rather amusing. "Well, slightly lad. Sorry. Um, yes to begin. I printed off information for the both of you regarding the whole process and parenting in general. This whole thing won't affect you too much more than the obvious, but there is one thing I would like to recommend. Well, two things actually. I suggest that you announce this soon, before Elizabeth begins to show. Because we want everyone to get used to it and not let things spiral out of hand. Also, I think that it would be wise if we got the SGC to send in someone to replace you for the last part of the pregnancy."

Elizabeth started to protest, but Carson held up his hand for her to stop, "I know love that you are going to want to continue your job. But sleepless nights and the incredible stress you put yourself under are not going to help you, plus you are going to need to back off your caffeine consumption."

John got a kick outta that, "Oh yeah, like that's going to work! Plus, you are going to be so emotional, that your judgment might be a little skewed. "

Elizabeth playfully hit him, "Hey, it's not entirely my fault remember?" she asked then looked back at Carson. "Yes, that would probably be wise even though I won't like it too much. That does bring up a good question. How will the SGC take this?"

"Yeah, that'll take some convincing on our part won't it?" John replied solemnly.

"OH MY GOD!"

The three turned to see none other than Dr. Rodney McKay standing in the doorway. They had been so into their discussion that they hadn't noticed his entry into the infirmary. He was just looking at both Elizabeth and John, pointedly starting. Then he collapsed to the floor. Carson immediately was at his side taking his pulse.

"Oh, crap. How long was he standing there?" said John looking inquisitively at Elizabeth. She just looked right back in horror.

This was bad, very bad, Catastrophic failure bad. Rodney was the last person that they wanted to find out about this yet because there was no way he would be able to keep quiet about it. Yep, they were screwed, they needed to figure out what they were going to do before he came to and left the infirmary.

tbc

a/n: Woot, 2725 words for my actual story! Ok, I don't think that this was _that_ big of a cliffy. Yep, I will try to keep posting on this pretty regularly, but it will be slower than initially. I already had that part typed up. But now I am at the whole wip part. Yep, ok, thanks sooo much for my lovely reviews. Big hugs for all. Good things they aren't real hugs cuz I am sick and would make all of you sick. Yeah I have already gone through one box of Kleenex today. Ugg, I hate being sick. Ok, that's my rant, so yep. Okies, I'm so done. Gonna go make some hot chocolate and curl up with my puppy. Until the next chapter. (Oh, sorry for all the mistakes if there are some)


	5. Chapter Five:You gotta some ‘splaining

Chapter Five: You gotta some 'splaining to do!

A/n_: Aw! You guys are too sweet! Thanks for the lovely get well messages. Yep, your nice reviews are making me sit at my computer and do the next chapter instead of do my homework (ugg I will have to do that eventually) or take a nap. Oh well, I am so digging this fic. I can't wait until I get the child born though, cause that it so going to be awesome with the havoc they'll organize. Yep, okies here you guys go!_

Atlantis: Infirmary

Carson had to enlist John's help, but the both of them got Rodney moved onto a bed. At the moment Carson was getting an IV into him, because on his way down to meet the floor he had whacked the back of his head on the edge of one of the counters outside Carson's office.

"So, um what's wrong with him doc? asked John tentatively.

"Well, he apparently came to the infirmary for a long scratch he got from goodness knows where, that was bleeding. I already patched that up," replied Carson as he was checking everything and getting Rodney situated.

Quiet pause. Elizabeth looked to John, whose look back at her said clearly 'we still aren't outta this yet."

"If he's fine, why are you hooking him up to an IV?" asked Elizabeth.

"Well love, he has a nice bump on the back of his head from where he hit the corner of the counter on his was down to the ground. There is a slight possibility of him having a small concussion," replied Carson, "So I am going to need to keep him here for a little bit to check him out once he comes to."

"So uh, any chance you could, uh, give him some of your patented happy medicine to keep him loopy until we figure out what to do since he uh, _knows_? John said hopefully smiling.

Carson sighed, "You are terrible you know that?"

"Come on, doc, please!" John had on his best puppy dog face on now.

Carson looked at John, then at Elizabeth who also seemed to like the idea. "Aw bloody hell, you two are gonna get me fired now! I will give him a slight sedative, but it will only buy you two a couple of hours.' He said narrowing his eyes on the last bit. He grabbed a syringe off a table near by, and squirted the contents into the IV.

Elizabeth walked over and hugged him, "Carson you are wonderful."

She and John started to head out of the door together when he turned back, "Hey Carson, call us when he wakes and don't let him leave whatever you do. "

"Aw go on and get outta here," was the reply as Carson waved a hand distractedly in their direction.

"Thanks Carson."

With that the couple left the infirmary to figure out their next move.

o0o

Atlantis: Infirmary (two-three hours later)

Rodney McKay hated infirmaries. They were horrible, and the doctors that worked there hardly gave merit to the subject being classified as a 'science'. They had all of their weird voodoo practices that did not seem to fit all of his laws and things.

He had gone to Carson to get his arm patched up. Another priceless ancient artifact had been destroyed for no good reason. One of his underlings had gone and screwed it up. Yep, they were so getting the 'unsatisfactory' box checked on their personal progress report. Then they handed the thing off to Rodney to fix unknowingly that it was capable of going off at any second. Thankfully he had set it down just before it went off and turned to grab his data pad or he could have been seriously hurt. He had gotten away with a nice scratch on his forearm and another lab table that had bit the dust. You'd think those ancients would have built it to withstand a smallish explosion.

That still didn't explain why he was lying on a bed in the infirmary. He knew only had a small cut and raised his hand to see it. However, there was an IV attached to him. _Why do I have an IV?_ He wondered, he hadn't done anything else to himself that he remembered._ Wait, ok I came to find Carson. He was in his office talking to Elizabeth and Sheppard. _Then he remembered what they had been talking about. _Elizabeth was pregnant. Oh, my god. Sheppard had really done it this time. Oooo, he had to find Radek to make him pay up. That darn Czech and his covert gambling ring were going to pay._

Rodney rubbed the back of his head causing himself to feel dizzy. _That's why I'm here, must've hit it on before I went down._ He gulped nervously, _crud I fainted. _He was never going to hear the end of this. _No, no I passed out from manly um, 'overwhelmance'. That's it. Wow, he was getting at bad as Sheppard at making up words. Hee, hee, oh he could have fun with the colonel now. This was gonna be good._

"Oy, Carson," he called in a sing-song voice.

Carson, was working on a report in his office when he heard the summons. _Oh, bloody hell. He was awake._

He remembered his promise to the colonel, and called him to alert him to Rodney's return to consciousness. The reply was that he was on his way for a little chat with the physicist, however he did give the good doctor a few instructions on what to say before he got there.

"CARSON you sheep sheering voodoo witch doctor, are you coming?" Carson could tell that Rodney obviously remembered what he had overheard and was therefore very confident that he held the upper hand. He would just have to bluff until the colonel got there to back him up. He took a deep breath before making his way to Rodney's bedside.

"Yes, Rodney," he said calmly as he walked over to the scientist's bed.

"What am I doing here AND with an IV?" Rodney asked rather sharply

"You have a slight concussion. You fainted due to blood loss on your arm and hit your head on the way down," Carson replied coolly.

"Blood loss? Are you kidding me?" he asked incredulously. "I passed out due to manly 'overwhelmance' when I heard what was going on in your office between Elizabeth, you, and the colonel."

"And what might that be Rodney?" drawled a familiar voice.

"You! God, Kirk you finally did it, only with Elizabeth," Rodney directed his comment to the newest arrival to the scene. "I knew you two would do it, only was a matter of time!"

John looked at Carson and mouthed crazy, rather obviously, and turned back to Rodney, "I have no idea what you are talking about," he began, "We were having a meeting regarding, um, what Carson here needs to have restocked when the Daedalus comes next time. We are sending the list at tomorrow's scheduled check in."

Rodney looked aghast and stared at both of them, "No, no, no that can't be right. I heard Carson telling you guys, that Elizabeth was going to have to take it easy because of the baby…..and…and."

"Rodney, you have a concussion, that it probably why you are experiencing some memory loss. I think you have been a little pre-occupied lately. How much have you been sleeping lately?" asked Carson gently.

John laughed at that and cut in, "You mean how little has he been sleeping. I know you have been obsessed with some weird project lately."

"Hey!"

"Well, Rodney I think that explains it. You need more sleep. So I am going to keep you here for the remainder of the day and you are going to sleep," said Carson as he slipped more medicine into the IV.

Rodney knew he was not wrong, this was all happening too fast, but a little flicker of doubt crossed his mind just before he went under again, "But…no…you…" he couldn't get anything else out, and was asleep before he knew it.

John heaved a sign of relief. "Thanks Carson, that'll get us until we can talk to the SGC about this. I think Rodney may even have bought it a little."

"Yeah, yeah, you both owe me for this," replied Carson.

John did his best to look contrite, "Yep, I know. We'll play nice now."

He waved back to Carson as he left the infirmary. Yep, their first problem was taken care of. However there was still the whole thing with the SGC to deal with. He had a feeling that it wasn't going to go so well. But, they would make it work, it would be alright somehow.

o0o

Atlantis Weir's Office:

While Rodney slept on through the next day and a half, a couple of key things happened that he would've given the half his power bar stash to have witnessed.

Later that evening John had ventured into Elizabeth's office to see why she hadn't eaten anything yet. She was getting everything ready for the transmission the following morning and as usual, forgot to take care of herself. It was a good thing that John had snatched two turkey sandwiches for the mess on his way there. She smiled at him as he entered carrying the food.

He plopped himself down and tossed her a sandwich. "So, Jason or Ellen what?"

She looked questioningly at him, "What do you mean Jason or Ellen what?"

He smiled at her and replied, "Jason Sheppard or Jason Weir or we could combine it and make it Jason Wheppard or Jason Shweir. Although to tell you the truth that kinda sounds like 'shmear' as in cream cheese. I don't know about you but that'd be awkward."

Elizabeth raised her eyebrows and said, "You are terrible you know that."

"Hey, I was just going about my day, and that dawned on me. I mean the kid has to have a last name," he replied innocently.

She leaned back in her chair, "Well, it could be Ellen Weir or Ellen Sheppard. Yeah, Ellen Shweir does sound a little odd. It could be Ellen Sheppard-Weir, but that would take forever to write out."

"Yeah, well I had another thought," he began, "I don't want our kid to go around thinking they were an accident or something. What I am saying is that….I want them to have a normal family setting, well as normal as it will get around here, provided that we are allowed to stay of course after our chat with the SGC."

She was looking curiously at him now.

John leaned forward in him chair an took her hands in his and continued, "Basically…what I am trying to say, er ask…um Elizabeth, do you want to marry me?"

Whoa, that was huge, yet it seemed to feel right to Elizabeth, he really was going to make a good dad. He already had the kid's best interests at heart. She looked back at him, he was giving her a searching look and she replied, "Yes, yes I will."

He looked positively ecstatic at her reply, "Ha, then it'll be Ellen Sheppard or Jason Sheppard now."

Her only reply was to lean over the table and kiss him.

It was a good thing it was late and only a few people were in the Gateroom. Fortunately, none of them were paying attention to what was going on it Dr. Weir's office or they would've seen the two leaders of the city making out.

o0o

Atlantis Weir's Office: (The Next Day)

Elizabeth made her scheduled check in with the SGC; however she had arranged it so that she could do it from the confines of her office. John sat on the other side of her desk to provide moral support. She told Landry the usual stuff, but concluded with the 'big' news.

Well, he wasn't exactly happy to say the least. His face clouded when she told him that a. she was pregnant and b. she was engaged. Landry ever being the astute one had replied the colonel. He got the affirmative nod with that one. Elizabeth countered with the idea that this was a city that was removed from the normal society back on Earth, and sooner or later something like this was going to happen. They could not stop relationships from happening there forever. John came around to face the monitor, and said that it was inevitable. There were a number of relationships blossoming and if the SGC really wanted to put an end to all of it, they would been looking at replacing two thirds of the entire expedition. Landry had asked if they were threatening him, but both had put on innocent faces and said that they were just giving the facts.

Landry wasn't pleased with it, but conceded to letting them stay in their positions on Atlantis under one condition. This child could not and would not have a negative effect on their work. Elizabeth replied that he could ask anyone on the base if they wanted them to be removed and they would consent to step down, if their work fell below par of course. He also said that he would look into finding a temporary replacement for Elizabeth since Dr. Beckett recommended her to take a leave of absence for the last couple of months of the pregnancy. By the end of the conversation he was still not thrilled, but was able to wish them congratulations on the whole thing and gave them a rare smile.

o0o

Atlantis: Two Months Later

Rodney had come out of his sleep groggy and totally oblivious to what he had witnessed. Somehow John and Carson's story had managed to convince him that he had been mistaken (the drugs also helped some too.)

They had tried to keep their relationship under the radar for the two months, but they couldn't hide how happy they were and the feelings they had. Basically the other intelligent members of the expedition noticed, but didn't say anything to the two concerned. (The infamous Atlantis Rumor Mill found a lot of little supporting details to help make their case to the nonbelievers).

Back at the SGC, Landry's decision to keep them at their posts was also reviewed. The verdict was that the policy on relationships would be relaxed to allow families and serious relationships amongst the expedition members. It was more than just a base after all. It was a city and as such it should be allowed to grow, so some of the protocols were tweaked. They had also found someone to step in to replace Elizabeth for the last couple of months of her pregnancy. Actually, they were sending her replacement on the next trip the Daedalus made to Atlantis so that they could shadow Dr. Weir for awhile. This was being done so they knew the ropes and the transition could be as smooth as possible with the least amount of difficulties.

They day before the Daedalus arrived, the happy couple decided that now would be a good time to announce why someone was coming in to replace Elizabeth. Since it was New Years, they were having a little party to celebrate the season. Everyone needed a chance to blow off some steam and chill.

It was during this that Elizabeth and John got up in front of everyone to make their announcement, the toasts had begun so they thought it was pretty much now or never.

"Attention, attention I have a little announcement to make," Elizabeth began.

All eyes were on Dr. Weir now. Colonel Sheppard had moved to stand next to her as she continued, "As you all know due to the remarkable fast rumor mill, someone is coming on the Daedalus tomorrow to serve as a replacement for me."

She was stopped by a lot of boos' and 'noooss' and general outcries of unhappiness.

Elizabeth held up her hand for them to quiet down, which they did, and she continued, "However, I thought you all had a right to know why. Firstly, I think that you should all know it's only going to be temporary, maybe seven eight months or so."

Someone from the crowd yelled 'get on with it' and 'no we love you'.

She smiled at John and she started up again, "You see I will be taking a temporary leave of command due to the fact that I am expecting."

John took over now, "Yep, you heard her right, she's pregnant and if any of you give her any crap about it, you'll have to answer to her future husband." He grinned obnoxiously at the last part.

Tremendous cheers rang out at this pronouncement. There were lots of 'I told you so's' and 'pay up's' going around.

Before things got too wild John managed to call out, "Oh, and you are all invited to the wedding in two weeks!"

_Thud_. The happy couple looked over and saw that Rodney had fainted again. Carson was already at his side checking him out. He shook his head and thought _some things never change._

tbc


	6. Chapter Six: The End of the Beginning

Chapter 6: The End of the Beginning

_a/n: Ok, sorry it has taken me so long to update but I was sick and then I got swamped with school work. I finally have caught up on all of my projects and papers and taken all of my chapter tests so I should be good for another couple of weeks before I get to repeat the lovely testing cycle. School is just so wonderful rolls eyes yep, yeah right. Ok, enough ranting! mental smack I have been working on the second part of this fic of this so chapter one of part two should be up within the end of the week. I have like the first three chapters of part II almost done so they should come out faster. Thanks for whoever is sticking with me and all of the lovely reviews are appreciated and treasured. I was a little disappointed with the last part of the last chapter so I am going to try and clean up my mess a little before I move on, so I hope you all don't mind. Ok, enough of my babbling and on with the fic!_

Atlantis: Party

'Why was he here? Honestly' thought Rodney 'I would be way more productive if I was in my lab working now instead of wasting my time at a lame party.'

Yep, the only reason Rodney was attending this little shindig was because Colonel Annoyingpants had hung out at his lab all afternoon and talked him into going. So far the party was pretty ugg. Radek had been coerced into sharing his secret stash of alcohol and three fourths of the people at the party were already drunk. That stuff sure packed a punch. No wonder it was 'contraband.' It was a good thing that tomorrow was Sunday and it was designated as a mandatory day off for most of the staff. Only the night shift and the few who had to stay on duty the next day hadn't allowed themselves to drink too much. They were pretty upset about it too because they had to endure all of their friends getting to party hard without them, but being the responsible people they were, realized that somebody had to keep an eye on things and it was their bad luck that they had been scheduled to work the next day.

Rodney was just about to leave when Dr. Weir had called everyone's attention to make an announcement. He listened as she danced around her news. It was obvious some people had had way too much to drink when they yelled at her to hurry it up and spit it out. Nobody in their right mind would tell her to do that any other given time. He listened in horror as she announced that she would be replaced, but relaxed a little when she said it was only temporary. The next thing he heard however shocked him. Elizabeth was pregnant. No, that can't be right. Wait, what was Sheppard saying. Huh? They were getting married. Wait a dog gone minute. Elizabeth was pregnant. Hello, welcome de ja vu. Didn't he already have a conversation about this in the infirmary not too long ago? Rodney quickly drained the glass of Radek's brew he had been holding. The alcohol didn't help and dropped to the floor.

--SGA--

Rodney woke up to see Carson staring down at him concerned. Elizabeth and John were hovering in the background. He sat up and his head started to spin. He let his vision settle before looking around. The party had resumed its noisiness and the level of racket was higher than it had been before the announcement. Everyone seemed to have been thrilled with the news of the two leaders and were partying all out. After all, the thought of them getting together had been on everyone's mind but it had been one of those things you want to happen, but never really though would.

Rodney pushed Carson away and said he was fine before heading out of the room. He was angry. The three of them had tricked him. Carson had known all along about Elizabeth and John and the three of them had lied to him to keep him quiet. What? He could keep a secret, so why didn't they trust him enough to tell him when he had barged in on the meeting in the infirmary then? For now he realized that he had not imagined all of that. McKay had stormed all the way to his lab and turned his computer on. He was just waiting for it to boot up when Sheppard walked into the lab.

Rodney angrily punched in his password and said with a biting tone, "Congratulations. I am _so_ happy for you."

"McKay," John said ashamedly.

"No, really you two make such a lovely couple. I am sure everything will work out great. And Carson is going to be a great uncle I am sure," McKay drawled.

John sighed and replied, "Rodney, look we had to trick you. I'm sorry but it was necessary to keep things under wraps."

"Oh, I'm sure you had to," Rodney replied furiously typing away at his laptop, "Of course you couldn't expect me to keep your secret. I am only your best friend."

John walked over and slammed Rodney's laptop shut, "Look, we hadn't talked to the SGC yet and didn't want anything to get out until we had. No offense but you talk. A lot. Maybe it wasn't the best thing to do, lying to you, but we had just found out like the day before and Elizabeth was one edge about it getting out."

Rodney just sat there, he was still fuming.

"Rodney," John continued, "Look, we did what we thought we had to, can we please just put this past us and move on? I really want you to be a part of this. Especially the wedding. Somehow I think if I make Ronon my best man he won't quite get the gist of a best man speech."

Rodney perked up at this even though he tried not to show it, "Me, you want me to be your best man? Seriously after lying to me about Elizabeth being pregnant and you the father, you think I can be bought for such a low price? Really, what would posses you to think that?"

John had seen Rodney's eyes light up and noted the change in tone, "Hey! You are my best bud, but if you're sure I can go ask Ronon, he might not make such a bad best man after all. His speech will be short and sweet and we can get on with the better parts of the reception. Hey thanks McKay."

He started to head out the door when Rodney called to him, "No, no, no! Conan is not giving the best man speech. Seriously he'd say 'congrats' and that's about it. You need a best man who can come up with something eloquent and witty for the occasion."

John turned back to look at him, "And where am I going to find such a genius?"

Rodney smiled and said, "You're looking at him!"

--SGA--

A few days later the Daedalus arrived. With the normal supplies it brought it had also contained a special shipment of goodies in particular that would be needed for the upcoming wedding. The most important were the cloths. Tuxes for the guys, Ronon's had to be special ordered to fit, and dresses for the bridesmaids. The most important thing of all was Elizabeth's dress. She had requested some bridal magazines two trips back to pick out all of the clothing details. The measurements and sizes of everyone had been taken secretly (the couple knew that those they wanted in the wedding party would be sure to participate) had been sent off and everything ordered so that it would arrive in time for the wedding. It was a good thing Elizabeth had access to all the records of everyone and it was just a matter of perusing the clothing supplier manifest to get the sizes. It was also good that Weir was the last one to check the orders for things before it was given to Caldwell or someone might have noticed the extra requests. Caldwell of course had been asked to keep it all a secret until they made the announcement. (He had been briefed about it some time after the couple's chat with the SGC to set up the details for the cover wedding operation.)

With the arrival of the Daedalus the arrival of Elizabeth Weir's temporary replacement also came. Dr. Kelsey Green was built from the same mold as Elizabeth. She was a diplomat as well and was fluent in five other languages. She had been the prime choice as she was familiar with the Stargate program and had a fair bit of experience in dealing with offworld nations.

She was friendly and had a wry sense of humor which led many to take to her immediately, although Elizabeth Weir would remain number one in their hearts forever. The plan was for her to shadow Elizabeth up until she could no longer work and then assume control. This way she would see how everything worked and get to know everyone thus building up a trusting relationship so that when she took over the transition would be as painless as possible.

--SGA--

The wedding was beautiful. The East Pier had been all decked out for the ceremony with flowers from the mainland everywhere and chairs and an alter set up overlooking the water. A tent had also been erected near the entrance to get back into the city to hold the reception. Elizabeth Weir and John Sheppard tied the knot during one of the most fabulous sunsets the city had ever seen. They were lucky enough that one of the botanists was also a priest so they didn't have to go through the hassle of getting a priest and briefing them on the whole situation to then ship them to Atlantis.

The whole wedding party looked stunning. Teyla was the maid of honor and the other bridesmaids included some of Elizabeth's other scientist friends including Kate Heightmeyer. They all wore stunning gowns of pale pink. Elizabeth of course had a fabulous white strapless gown that puffed out and trailed behind her. The guys all wore tuxes with Rodney as the best man and the other groomsmen included Ronon, Carson, and Lorne. However, none of them looked as good as the groom did in a tux. All lot of the female members of the expedition had been pretty upset when the learned that Atlantis's most available and hottest bachelor was getting married. They were pretty darn jealous of Elizabeth Weir, but grudgingly admitted that there was no way John Sheppard would have hooked up with anyone else. Yes, Captain Kirk was tying the knot, thrusting a knife into the hearts of his many admirers. The entire ceremony and reception afterwards were the stuff of legends and a baby step towards the formation of other relationships and families in the city.

--SGA--

Dr. Weir had remained on active duty up until the final month. Meanwhile, Dr. Green had become a regular in the city. She had even gotten a taste at leadership when Elizabeth decided to let her handle some minor critical emergencies. Then when Kelsey had taken command of the city she had proven herself worthy of the position with her handling of a diplomatic mission gone wrong. A delegation from DFZ-20G had come to the city under the guise of setting up a treaty, which had seemed to come together very well. However they had really been buds with the Genii and tried to sabotage the city with a rather sneaky little bomb like contraption that had detonated in the gate room. However the timing had been slightly off, because only half the delegation was through the gate. Thankfully nobody was injured too badly. The military nearest had stepped in immediately and prevented the remaining members from leaving. A little interrogation plus some nice time in the brig had allowed them to sort everything out. It was Green's actions during the crisis that had led to her earning respect from a good number of expedition members.

Kelsey had also joined the infamous group of individuals who had managed to best Rodney McKay. She and McKay had butted heads from the beginning because she refused to treat him like he was any better than any other person on Atlantis. He wanted to make sure she knew that his work was the most important and he bugged her with the same requests to come see this new 'ancienty' thing he figured out even if it was one in the morning. Green on the other hand, didn't take any of his crap.

However they really got into a fight over blue jello and coffee. Kelsey needed her coffee as much as Rodney did. One late night for the both of them they had gotten into a row over the last cup in the pot. Rodney had snatched the last cup that Kelsey had already filled. She was reaching for the creamer and he just took it. He complained that she filled it with so much sugar that it ruined the taste and was better enjoyed by him pure and simple. Well, needless to say Kelsey had been pretty pissed and refused to make anymore late night trips to see the next big thing going on in McKay's lab and had decided to get a little revenge of her own by accidentally on purpose being responsible for his entire wardrobe to be turned pink. That had gone over big with everyone. Sheppard had given Rodney a lot of crap for showing up for a mission looking like the energizer bunny. She had also taken control of the entire stock of blue jello giving it out to everybody but Rodney. She even took little cups of it with her and ate it in front of him while listening to his ever important discoveries. In the end, Rodney tried to make peace by bringing her cups of coffee just the way she liked it with sugar and cream in the evenings. (Hmm, the beginnings of a beautiful friendship? Maybe!)

--SGA--

Atlantis Infirmary:

Finally, the time that everyone was waiting for had arrived. The entire population of the city was excited for the first child to be born on Atlantis since their arrival to the city. Elizabeth had refused to go back to Earth for the birth because she claimed that Atlantis was her home and it was to be her child's home and wanted them to be born in it.

One of the biggest questions was on whether the child would be a boy or a girl. The happy couple had decided that they wanted to be surprised and had refused Carson's offer to tell them. Since they did not want to know they had sworn Carson to secrecy so that nobody else found out either. As a result everyone had flocked to Radek to place their bets on the gender of the child.

After the marriage had taken place, John had examined every available quarters to find the perfect one for them. It must have been designed for a family, because it consisted of four large rooms. One centrally located on that would prove to be a nice family room, and three other rooms attached that would serve as nice bedrooms. The largest one would serve as the master suite (it also had a sweet bathroom attached to it with a Jacuzzi tub ala ancient style. The other two rooms were smaller and had their own bathrooms attached as well. One would be the baby's room. The other room had puzzled Elizabeth initially because she said that they did not need an extra room. Well John had looked at her and said innocently while shrugging, "Room to grow."

They had moved in soon after. It was interesting to see their combined styles collide. Elizabeth was neat and organized with a classic sense of decoration. John on the other hand was pretty messy and very much laid back in his style. The first thing to go was his Johnny Cash poster. She had refused to put that in their bedroom. She had been getting moodier and moodier lately (plus she had craved chocolate all of the time. Rodney moaned that she was more irritable than him.) In the end Elizabeth got to decorate the master suite and John got to plan out the family room. It had been simply easier for John to give in than to resist to her and her moods. He found out that she could be quite vindictive and sneaky when she wanted to be.

Now the baby room they had done together. It had taken a while for them to agree on everything, but in the end they had. It was not a moment too soon because the couple had been putting the final touches in the room when Elizabeth's water had broken.

After that Carson and a medical team had swooped in and whisked Elizabeth off to the infirmary. John had followed them through the whole way but was left waiting outside during the labor. He had only begun to pace when the rest of his team had shown up. The three of them offered support in their own unique ways: Teyla quiet words of peace, Ronon the silent support, and Rodney rambled on and on. At three in the morning Dr. Green had appeared. By then everyone but John was dozing.

"So any word on how she's doing?" Kelsey asked gently. She had worked with John Sheppard long enough now to know when he was worried, and now definitely qualified as one of those times.

John stopped his pacing and shook his head, "Nope, no word for two hours now. That's when Elizabeth went into labor, but nothing since then."

"Well, you and I both know that the best doctor in two galaxies is in there with her, she'll be fine," Kelsey replied, "I did bring you something though." She said and offered him one of the two cups she was holding.

"Coffee?" He asked.

She smiled and replied, "What else?"

They both leaned against the wall and sipped their coffee.

"You know, I'm going to miss this place," Kelsey began, "When I heard about it back at the SGC I knew I wanted to at least visit it. Now that I'm here I really don't want to leave."

"Leave, what are you talking about? Everyone loves you. You have done a magnificent job running things with Elizabeth out of the picture. I know I don't envy the position. It's bad enough when I used to get it when she'd go offworld for a little while. Bluck! All that paper work," replied John with a small smile.

Kelsey sighed, "That's just it. When Elizabeth comes back to work I won't be needed anymore. I have a feeling the SGC is going to want to re-assign me back to earth."

"Oh, well you're welcome to stay here. I mean goodness knows we need good diplomats. Just ask McKay how well my negotiating skills are. His aren't that much better remember."

"Yeah, I would do almost anything to stay even if I had to be McKay's assistant."

"Ooo, I wouldn't wish that on anyone. Wouldn't it just be easier to talk to the SGC. I am sure you have enough influence to pull some strings and stay here. I mean I know plenty of people that would speak up for you, me included," John replied looking serious.

"That's really sweet Col. You aren't getting soft now are you?" Kelsey replied jokingly.

"Hey, Dr. I may be about to be a daddy, but I have a reputation to keep up!" said John with mock innocence and breaking into the first real smile she had seen him in thus far.

Just then the door opened and out walked Carson. He looked around and spotted John. Motioning to him he said, "Colonel would you like to meet your son?"

----SGA---

Okies, end of Part I. Part II will continue next. I have a couple of chapters started and planned out, I just have to proof them before I post. This means you can expect more soon. I am going to try to get something out by the end of the week. Hope this part was more satisfactory and you like the direction I am taking the story in! Oh, and thanks a million for all of the lovely reviews and support you have been giving me!

-Lemons and wraith oh my-


	7. Chapter Seven: Uncle Meredith

Author's Note: A month…..I left this alone for a month! Wow, I am really sorry. I just wasn't as in to it as I should have been. Hmm well I decided to put some more time into it cos I am on spring break and therefore have way more free time than usual to work on my fanfic. YEAH!!! Okie dokie so here is more. I hope I didn't loose too many readers due to the really long break in between posts I'll try to be a little more faithful.

Chapter 7: Uncle Meredith

Atlantis: Early Afternoon Control Tower

The day to day occurrences of Atlantis were a busy as every. Even though the scientists had been able to claim that they knew where everything was in the city and had extensively mapped it out, there was still much to learn from the numerous labs that had been discovered. The Earth expedition had been the city's latest residents for the past five and three-quarters years. Their six year anniversary was looming on the horizon though.

The past year had been taken up by the restoration and exploration of the city. Its residents were determined to unlock as many secrets as they could, although there was still enough to do to take up lifetimes. However it had been imperative to have okayed the entire city since it had started to fill up.

After the relocation of Atlantis during the fiasco with the Asurans, they had been blessed with the boon of stumbling on a lab that contained very thorough notes on the construction and fabrication of ZPM's. With these Dr. McKay and his team had been able to successfully construct three with two more in the works; however it took a lot longer to make one than anyone had predicted due to the gathering of the materials and the complex fabrication process.

Still, now they were pretty much set to defend their city from most threats. Granted the wraith were still out there being obnoxious as always, and the Asurans were as pissed as ever with them. (Throw in the Genii and you have a party.) However, these threats had been taken into consideration and were just a fact of life in the Pegasus galaxy. Heck, their own city still came up with threats to its inhabitants on occasion.

The city was also becoming much more than the scientific expedition that it once was. Families were being created and parts of the city had to be set aside for social affairs and activities. True, parts of the city were set up for a more relaxed atmosphere, but in essence the inhabitants were still there to learn and explore what the galaxy had to offer. Nobody pretended to know everything yet, well with the exception of Rodney McKay of course.

The senior staff was pretty much the same as it had always been, with the addition of Dr. Melanie Green. She had taken over for Dr. Weir during her time off becoming a mommy and had stayed on bored to assist and had become a linguist for SGA-4. She surprisingly liked to get out and experience the thrill of a mission as much as any military member of the expedition. Colonel Sheppard was still the CO of the military affairs, although the men under his command had increased slightly since the population had increased.

Currently Sheppard was heading for the control tower to pick up a little package. As he walked through the halls he passed many of the city's inhabitants who nodded and smiled at their military commander. As he made his way into Dr. Weir's office a little thing attached itself to his leg as he entered. John reached down and pried the being off of him, lifting it up and placing it gently on his shoulders.

Dr. Elizabeth Weir looked up from her computer at the two of them and shook her head smiling. She looked at her son, Jason, sitting on top of his father's shoulders.

John looked up at his son and back at Elizabeth and grinned and asked, "What?"

She pulled an innocent face and replied, "Nothing, you two are just too cute you know."

"Yeah we try don't we buddy?" he said looking up at Jason. "Well Jace, let's let mommy get back to work. You and I are gonna have some fun this afternoon."

Jason, who was still only a toddler replied by grinning and saying, "'Kay."

"Play nice now boys," she told them sternly.

"Yes mum." John replied with his innocent school boy look.

As Elizabeth watched them leave she could only wonder what kind of trouble the two of them would get into for Jace was every bit as bad as John, and she mused how in reality she had two children to look after. She heard John say to Jace as they headed out onto the catwalk leading away from her office '_Let's go visit Uncle Rodney'_ which certainly spelled trouble for her later. He would chew her out for whatever damage her two boys would do.

Atlantis: Corridors

As John and Jace headed for McKay's lab they were greeted with smiles and waves, for Jace was a very popular member of the city. Being the son of the expedition head and military leader of Atlantis had its perks. Everyone spoiled him; it was a plain and simple fact. Jason Sheppard was the first child to be born on Atlantis since the arrival of the expedition and held a special place in the hearts of all. As a result, he was fawned over and there was never a shortage of babysitters. That was a good thing because his parents did hold two of the most important jobs in the city, although Rodney would beg to differ on that point.

Even thought Jace was only about two years old, he was a two year old miniature of his father. He had the looks, the smile, and the puppy dog eyes. He also inherited his father's strong ATA gene and a combination of his father's aptitude for math and his mother's intelligence. He also had his mother's skill for reason and way with words, a dry sense of humor was also starting to blossom. He was already talking his way out of trouble with whomever watched him when he was caught trying to pull some stunt.

o0o

The father-son duo made there way to the science labs, Rodney McKay's lab in particular. As they entered Rodney didn't even look up from whatever he was working on and called out to them in a sarcastic tone, "Oh look its Kirk and Mini Me."

Surprisingly it wasn't John who responded but rather Jace who drawled, "Hi Uncle _Meredith_."

Rodney's head shot up and he looked the grinning toddler square in the eye and then turned to the father, "You….you….you are never going to let me live that down are you? Now that little monster has more ammo to work with!"

"Hey, you're the one who started the name game when we walked in _Meredith._" John looked as smug as Jace and nodded to his son.

Jace hopped up onto the stool next to Rodney and started to spin around and around in the chair. John was just about to join suit when his radio chirped and he had to respond with the usual 'Sheppard here.' He mouthed be-right-back to Rodney and backed out of the lab.

Rodney looked on in horror as John left. He turned to Jace who was still spinning and spat, "You know if you make yourself sick if you keep that up I'm not cleaning it up."

Jace stopped, stuck out his tongue, and replied, "I'm not gonna make myself sick Uncle Mer. Plus this it fun."

Rodney had to take a deep breathe before responding, _don't let that little pest get the best of you,_ "Yeah well you spin away then." _See I can get along with children._

Jace kept spinning for a couple minutes more and Rodney went back to his work. John stuck his head in the lab soon after and said real fast, "Trouble with Lorne's team gotta go, watch Jace for me? Thanks a million!"

Rodney spluttered and ran to the doorway to protest, but to no avail. He hung his head dejectedly as he watched the bigger Sheppard head away down the hall. Rodney looked back at Jace in disgust.

The younger Sheppard looked up at him with his puppy dog eyes and said, "Guess it's just you and me _Uncle Meredith!"_

The soft chuckling of Radek Zelenka could be heard from the adjoining lab room.

"Oooh laugh it up Radek," Rodney spat.

"Have fun Mr. Mom," Radek called back.

Rodney groaned to himself. This was not going to be fun. Ooo he would get the Colonel back for this, all in good time.

a/n: Ta da stay tuned for more of the Jason Sheppard Chronicles!


	8. Chapter Eight: Movie Night

_a/n: Ok I think I failed to mention in the last chapter that this it was the start of part two. That chapter and this one, as well as all of the ones to come, are going to chronicle Jason's life on Atlantis. I am probably going to play around with the POVs and it might not be completely chronological. So each chapter will be like a mini adventure or a day in his life so they might not all connect per say. I just thought I would warn all of you lovely readers in advance! Thanks for sticking with me! Now on with the fic---lemons---_

Chapter 8: Movie Night

It was getting late and most of the ancient city's inhabitants were already getting ready for bed. True, there was the skeletal staff that was on duty. There were the few military units that were on guard all night, the Gateroom staff that consisted of only the bare minimum to keep an eye on things, and a couple of nurses and the night doctor manned the infirmary. That about took care of the small number of people who stayed up and were in their element at night. Some relished the task of being one of the few who could be relied on the watch over things while everyone else rested. Others, particularly the military, loathed the night watch because most of the time it proved to be uneventful and groaned and complained whenever they saw their name and the 'night watch' posted on the duty schedule together.

Now in addition to the few who were supposed to be up, there were others who did not seem to realize that the day had ended and therefore it was time for them to stop working. Most of these extras were scientists who failed to see the importance of a good night's rest and preferred to spend as much time as possible working on their project of the week. Others were insomniacs and stayed up working because they felt like it and were unable to sleep. Due to these night owls someone from the kitchen staff was always up. They made sure that there was always coffee in the mess and some light snacks. To fill the empty time they usually prepped for the next day's meals.

One of these night owls was a particular expedition leader who appeared to live off of coffee in the eyes of all of those who were close to her. She was one of the first ones up in the morning and one of the last to go to bed at night. Currently, it was eleven-thirty Atlantis Standard Time. Elizabeth looked up from her laptop out over the Gateroom to see the moonlight streaming in over the gate. It was an oddly calming sight for her. She hadn't realized how late it really was and looked down at her watch. Noting the time she realized that it was probably time she quit for the night. As she shut down her computer she told herself that the work would always be there. It was like rabbits, it just kept multiplying, that was the only problem with it.

Elizabeth grabbed her jacket from her chair and put it on as she exited her office. As she walked through the still control room, the techie on duty nodded to her as she left. She made her way through the deserted halls to her quarters seeing very few people as she went. The military guards straightened as she passed and inclined their heads respectfully towards her. She rounded a corner and caught sight of four women who were trying hard to contain their laughter. Drs. Heightmeyer and Keller, Lt. Cadman, and Teyla were all walking down the hall together. It dawned on Elizabeth that tonight was ladies' poker and she had forgotten again.

"Evening ladies, I'm sorry I missed poker again didn't I?" Elizabeth asked.

Kate answered, "Um, yes (_chuckle)_ it was poker. But that's alright…..um…." she couldn't get any more out and had the lean against Laura to stay upright.

Elizabeth gave a small sigh and asked, "So what's going on that is so funny? I am missing something here?"

The four looked at each other and started to crack up harder. However Teyla had the most self control replied, "Elizabeth, I think there is something you should see. It is quite amusing."

"Hysterical she means," added Laura.

Elizabeth followed the four of them down the halls to the Rec room. They stopped just outside the door when Teyla spoke softly. "We finished our games of poker and Laura suggested that we watch a movie. Well the four of us," she gestured at the other three, "were the only ones who felt compelled to stay up later."

"Yeah the rest were party poopers who complained about the whole 'staying up too late interferes with my work' thing," Laura added.

Kate took up the story next, smiling while she whispered, "Yes, we made our way to the Rec room and upon entering it the sight we saw was just too funny. You will definitely appreciate this Elizabeth."

Elizabeth was getting impatient now, "Alright what is so funny?" She made her way to open the door to the Rec room.

Cadmen stepped in front of her, "Um…just to warn you, it works best if we're all as quiet as possible. You don't want to ruin in. Trust me."

Laura stepped back and allowed Elizabeth to open the door. The sight was something to behold indeed.

The inside of the Rec room was dark. The only light came from the few emergency lights built into the floor by the walls and from the rather large screen on the opposing wall. On the screen was the DVD menu for _Atlantis: The Lost Empire_. It had been a gag gift from General O'Neill a while back. He thought it was funny for some reason.

As Elizabeth entered she saw the screen and had to chuckle softly to herself. She had forgotten it was Guys movie night. She was also going to have to talk to them about not taking the movie out and putting it away when she saw them next time. It was when she looked away from the screen that she realized that the guys hadn't left, in fact they were all fast asleep. The sight that greeted her was as Cadmen put it 'hysterical.'

Slumped in one of the chairs was Rodney. His laptop was balancing precariously on his lap with a cute cat slideshow screensaver changing every few seconds on it.

On the couch next to Rodney's chair was Ronon. He was lying on his back with his arms crossed over his chest fast asleep. Although, it sounded like the Ronon express was on its way because he was snoring rather loudly.

Propped up on some pillows with his back against Ronon's couch was Carson. He had his mouth open and was drooling ever so slightly. Next to the Scot was a large bowl that had probably held popcorn but was empty now.

Curled up in a little ball in the center was Radek. His glasses were hanging off of his nose and he looked like he would be asleep for a while.

In the chair directly across from Rodney was Lorne. He had taken control of the ottoman and had his feet propped up on it rather cutely.

Lastly, the sight on the remaining couch was what made Elizabeth smile the most. John was outstretched with his head resting on one arm of the couch and his feet propped up on the arm at the other end. One arm was dangling off the couch and the remote was resting in his outstretched hand. The other arm was wrapped around their son Jason who was snuggling right next to him.

The sight made Elizabeth smile. Her two boys were bonding together. It had been nice of John to take Jace with him to the guys' movie night. That was probably why they had watched such a kidish movie. Most of the time they watched high action and guns blazing guy movies full of swearing that really wouldn't have been appropriate for the five year old boy. It was no wonder that all of them had fallen asleep. (And it was so late that Jace was probably tired out.) The animated movie was definitely not their usual flick.

Elizabeth looked back at the faces of the other women. They all appreciated how cute and sweet the situation was. It was just funny how peaceful the normally loud and obnoxious group of guys was.

Elizabeth was about to leave when she spotted a video camera lying on the shelf next to some of the other technical equipment and games in the room. It was just too good to pass up and would make great blackmail. She picked up the camera and look back at the other four women who nodded approvingly. Yes the guys would never live this down. And they all said that Jace got his craftiness all from his dad, well she could be pretty devious when she wanted to be too.

_a/n2: Aww all the cute men of Atlantis peacefully sleeping. _


	9. Chapter Nine: Strength

Chapter Nine: Strength

_a/n: Well this is a whole new direction for me in this fic. This is the darkest and most angsty thing I have written thus far. I mean life on Atlantis can't all be rainbows and butterflies all the time, especially when your parents are the two most important people in the city. I was just in a real serious and kinda depressed funk all day and this is a by product of that. Hopefully it doesn't suck too badly and isn't too redundant. _

Atlantis: Weir's Office

I remember I was ten when it happened the first time. Well, it wasn't the first time ever to happen, but it was my first recollection of being present for the entire event. (I didn't learn all of the details until I was older though.)

I was hanging out in my mom's office doing some of the practice sheets she had made for me so I could start learning the Ancient language. I didn't attend a regular Earth school. My education was more along the lines of having several tutors. I learned from the scientists who were best at their particular field.

Anyway I was studying quietly, one of the few times I am quiet, on the couch in my mom's office while she worked when the alarms went off for unscheduled gate activation. Mom looked up abruptly from her work and rising told me to stay put. She, on the other hand, made her way to the control room to see what the matter was. Unfortunately, her office is compromised of glass walls, so I was able to see what took place in the Gateroom regardless.

I later learned that there were three teams out that day on offworld missions. I only knew of one, that being of my father. Mom and I had seen them go and wished them luck earlier that morning. Mom told me that they were going to visit a new planet to make friends, and it was hardly something for me to be worried about. Unfortunately, there is this little thing called Murphy's Law that states 'what can go wrong will go wrong'. Well, my dad is apparently a walking example of this according to Uncle Rodney and trouble seems to follow their team where ever they go. (I guess the apple doesn't fall very far from the tree because I seem to attract trouble as well. It's not my fault because I don't go looking for trouble, it just usually finds me.)

Anyway, it turned out that the people of this planet already had some house guests in the flavor of rogue Genii soldiers. They recognized my dad and his team and all hell broke loose. They were ambushed and had to fight their way back to the gate.

I watched mom go walk over to Chuck and heard his response to her anxious look, "Receiving Dr. McKay's IDC."

"Lower the shield," she replied coolly. I was amazed at how calm she was in dealing with these matters. Seeing her switch into the serious leader mode always astonishes me. She is just so good at what she does, it's almost scary.

They the radio crackled to life. It was Aunt Teyla, "Atlantis, be advised we are under fire, also requesting a medical team to the gate room."

Bullets whizzed into the gate room. Some of the marines had taken up their positions around the gate. I have grown up around military men and I have noticed several things about them. They will goof off and most know how to have a good time, but in that blink of an eye under certain circumstances their entire demeanor can change in a split second. The men down by the gate were not the same ones who had been playing flag football with me earlier, they had switched over into full military mode, and quite frankly they were a force to be reckoned with.

Uncle Rodney and Aunt Teyla were the first through the gate. It was a few seconds later when Uncle Ronon came barreling through the gate supporting the final member of the team, my dad. This was not a good sign.

I heard mom yell for them to raise the shield. Seconds later the gate had shut down, but by then she was half way down the stairs to meet the team.

"What happened?" she asked as she neared them.

I was having trouble staying put now. I saw my dad lying there and I was helpless to do anything. I inched my way closer, quietly and silently leaving my mom's office, and stopped at the top of the stairs peaking around the banister.

It was Teyla who replied, "We were ambushed by some unsavory Genii. It appears Kolya has quite a number of followers. We had to fight out way back to the gate." She had a nice sized cut on her arm that was oozing from under her jacket.

"The lousy Genii," spat Uncle Rodney. "We were enjoying a perfectly good meal with the locals when they decided to blow up the entrance to the hall we were in. Then they proceeded to open fire on everyone in the hall. It's a miracle we escaped at all!"

"Yes, we were lucky the Colonel spotted a back door or we would have been trapped, not all of the villagers were so lucky," commented Teyla solemnly. "The Genii did not like that we had made friends with the natives of the planet. Apparently they were supposed to be loyal to them only."

"Sheppard and I gave cover fire as we headed to the gate, he was hit right before we went through," Ronon added.

I watched as mom looked down at dad, he was lying there on the Gateroom floor covered in blood unconscious. In a matter of seconds Uncle Carson and his team and swarmed around my dad. I watched as they loaded him onto a gurney and head for the infirmary. Uncle Rodney and Ronon, as well as Aunt Teyla immediately followed. They appeared to be battered, but were whole and could make it to the infirmary on their own steam.

I stood their watching the whole thing in shock. I sank down unto the top step overwhelmed by it all. My dad was hurt badly but he had to be okay, right? But there was all that blood I kept telling myself. But he'll pull through; I mean he's my dad for crying out loud! He's kicked butt all over the galaxy. See I idolized my dad. I had been spoiled with stories of his heroics from the early days of Atlantis from everyone. He was invincible, there was no was he could be hurt that bad. My mom must have noticed how close I was to the action and the next thing I knew was that she was leading me away from all of it.

News spreads remarkable fast on Atlantis. The rumor mill is legendary, trust me. It think is has to do with the level of intelligence of the community and just how close everyone is to each other. It's like one really big extended family. You've got your kooks who are the family oddballs, the fussy aunts who try and do everything for you, the cool uncles who let you get away with anything, and the troublemakers whom everyone loves. Well my parents are _slightly_ ok really important people to the city so news of my dad getting injured was not a good thing. Little did I know then that getting himself grandly injured was pretty common for my dad and it caused a lot of worry for those close to him. Sometimes people wondered just when his luck was going to run out. That would be a sad day indeed.

I knew my dad attracted trouble because we going into it all the time when we were together. I guess I never knew the extent of it offworld until I got a taste of it this time. I had seen him come back with little injuries before (he always down played them though), but I had never witnessed such a sight as this time. I later learned that somehow I had always been kept out of the loop of it all by being sent to the mainland to visit or going to Earth for a while to visit Grandma Weir. My parents had cleverly sheltered me so that I wouldn't worry. However, this had shattered that illusion and I was finally exposed to the real danger of what my dad did.

As we walked down the halls the infirmary we were greeted with looks of concern and sorrow. Many of them were directed at me as my mom steered me along. I was so distraught that I missed many of them. The path that we took would soon become all too familiar with me as I would grow older. Many times it was to see members of the expedition whom I was close to, especially my dad's team. Once or twice I was actually the cause of the trip but that was a rarity. I tended to stay behind the scenes for most of my upbringing.

Atlantis: Infirmary

Anyway, we finally reached the destination of our trip. Mom and I sat down in what is fondly referred to as the 'waiting room' of the infirmary. It really wasn't a room, but outside the infirmary doors several benches and chairs had been strategically placed there for anxious friends and family who were waiting to see a friend who had been injured. The rest of my dad's team was already their. They had been checked out and were released after their post mission exam. They had taken up their regular waiting positions until Carson was finished and allowed them to enter the infirmary. As years would pass I would recognize the mannerisms and different things each one would do while waiting to hear news about their injured teammate.

Uncle Ronon was sitting in the chair facing the hall with his feet propped up on the adjoining chair. Aunt Teyla was seated on the bench directly across from the doors with her legs cross Indian style. She would often meditate during the waits that seemed like forever. Uncle Rodney had two things he would do. Initially he would pace…and pace…and pace some more until he would finally notice Ronon's death glare. After that he would sit down on a bench and open his data pad and stare it the screen for hours until he could not take it anymore and would begin pacing again. The cycle would repeat itself until he'd fall into a shallow sleep on the bench. When my dad was not the one causing the waiting process and it was another team member. He always took the chair on the left of the door. Occasionally if it a team member came back in really bad shape he'd pace. My mom had her own regular spot as well. Well technically she had two spots. If my dad was not the injured one, she would sit in the chair next to his. It was her way of supporting him. If my dad was the injured one, she took over his chair to wait it out. I think that she took comfort from it in a way.

Where do I fit in in all this? Well I usually flittered about from one to another, but I always ended up next to my mom. She was such a tower of strength. There were a few times when she was the injured one. Those were some of the longest waits of my life. My dad and I'd just sit their in shock and totally silence. Those were the times when he was the least composed. My mom meant so much to him and I think he just felt so helpless when he was stuck on the outside.

So mom and I arrived to find the team in their usual spots. (Uncle Rodney was still pacing right now.) She sat down and drew me close to her. I sat on her lap, so still because I was still in total shock. All of that blood and my dad's face, I just couldn't get the picture of how pale and helpless he looked. It was extremely frightening. Mom drew me into a close hug and stroked my head for a while. I couldn't take it anymore and sobbed as I pulled back. I looked up into her eyes and saw that she was just as scared and worried as I was. I barely whispered, "Is daddy going to be ok?"

She gave me an encouraging smile and her eyes regained some of their usual sparkle and replied, "Of course he is, don't you worry Uncle Carson is the best doctor in two galaxies. If anyone can make your dad better, he can."

Aunt Teyla got up and walked over to where we were sitting. She sat down next to us and said soothingly, "Do not fear Jason. Dr. Beckett has had much experience and will not doubt be able to heal your dad. He will be 'right and rain' as the idiom goes I think in no time."

"Oh yeah, Carson'll work his voodoo magic and the colonel will be up tormenting me in no time," Uncle Rodney said in a biting voice.

"Rodney," Uncle Ronon growled. His death glare in amazing to watch when you are not the one it is directed at. Uncle Rodney squirmed uncomfortably at this.

My mom seemed about ready to tell Uncle Rodney off further when her radio crackled to life. Some one was speaking to her and she responded that she'd be right there. She put her leader face back on and turned to me. "Jace, Major Lorne's team has just gotten back. I need to meet them to debrief so I need you to stay here and not get into trouble."

She looked seriously at me then turned to Teyla and something passed between them. I guess it's a woman thing and Teyla must have got some message from my mom and said quickly, "Yes Jace, do you want to try and meditate with me? It is very calming."

I sniffed a little and nodded and followed her to her bench. My mom got up and looked at us, gave me a reassuring smile, and headed down the hall. I have heard some people criticize her and my dad for hooking up. They seemed to think that a relationship between them would compromise their leadership abilities or something. But if they could see how she acted then, putting on a brave face to go complete her duties while my dad was seriously hurt was remarkable to me. She is just so strong. I can only hope that that is something I can take away from her.

Atlantis: Infirmary

Well about twenty minutes later Uncle Carson poked his head out of the infirmary doors. Immediately all eyes were on him.

"Well the colonel is doing just fine now," he began, "It was touch and go for a while he was loosing an immense amount of blood rather rapidly. The bullet had pierced a lung which had to be repaired and he suffered some internal damage…….."

About there I tuned Uncle Carson out. All of the medical stuff was way out of my league and I just needed to hear the 'he's going to be ok' part. A large weight seemed to lift off of my shoulders; _my dad was going to be ok._

What brought me back to reality was Uncle Rodney's question of 'when can we see him?'

"Well Rodney right now he's completely out of it. I suggest that all of you go get cleaned up and have some lunch. Then you can come back and see him. Ok?" Uncle Carson said.

It made sense since they were all still dressed in their mission gear, with the exception of their vests and extra gear. That they had left in the Gateroom. Someone had taken care of it for them. Hmm funny how that works now that I think about it.

Uncle Rodney groaned and tried to coerce Uncle Carson to just let us in but Uncle Carson remained firm in his recommendations. He's funny like that. One thing I have learned is that you definitely do not want to cross good old Doc Beckett when he is in his element. Sharp pointy needles and nasty exams tend to follow if you push his buttons the wrong way.

I guess I zoned out again and when I looked up Uncle Carson had gone back into the infirmary and Uncle Ronon and Rodney were stretching getting ready to leave. I realized that mom still didn't know. I turned to Aunt Teyla and said, "We need to tell my mom. She'll want to know."

Aunt Teyla smiled down at me and replied, "Do not worry. Dr. Beckett will inform her. Would you like to go have some lunch in the mean time?"

Uncle Rodney perked up immediately, "Oh yes, um lunch anyone? Let's go!"

Atlantis: Mess Hall

I ate lunch with my dad's team. Well, them and Major Lorne. He showed up halfway through and presented me with a large bowl of blue jello. It was my favorite and this gesture was really nice of him. Uncle Rodney was not happy, but Uncle Ronon only had to glare at him to cause him to cease his protests. I think they could all see that I was taking this whole thing pretty hard. They all tried to cheer me up, but couldn't get the picture of my dad lying on the Gateroom floor out of my head. I had picked at my turkey sandwich and eaten half of my jello when my mom showed up.

She said that she had just the thing to help cheer me up and we left the mess together. I tried to protest saying that we were going to go visit dad after lunch be she said that everyone still needed to change and get cleaned up. Aunt Teyla nodded in the affirmative and I somewhat reluctantly agreed to go. My mom said we would meet up with them and visit dad after the surprise.

Atlantis: Random Secluded Balcony

The view was amazing. I never get tired of the view of the water even now that I am much older. Anyway, mom had led me out of the main part of the city to an empty section of the city. Several flights of stairs later we were at the top of a smaller tower of the city. She led me out a couple of doors and poof we were on this medium sized balcony that had a perfect view of the ocean. There were a couple large floor pillows and a bench placed out here. She said that it was my dad who had found this place and shown it to her. They had met here numerous times when they were still trying to hide their relationship from everyone. She said that they both came here to think. Sometimes together. Sometimes not. Now however I was in on the secret.

I don't know what it is about my family but balconies and stunning views of the ocean really impact all of us in a unique way. I know that many times my dad and I had had little campouts on the south pier just to see the stars and the sunrise. It was just something we did.

I'm not sure how long we stayed out there, but I felt more relaxed and calm. I realized that my dad had a dangerous job, but he was going to be okay and I needed to be strong for him. I guess I matured some then in a way. I looked up at my mom and she smiled at me and asked, "You better now?"

"Yes, much better," I replied.

And I was, I wasn't going to let myself worry too much. I was going to stay positive. Lots of people say I got my father's optimism and my mother's good sense. I guess they were right.

Atlantis: Infirmary

We got to the infirmary and made our way to where my dad was recovering. I later learned from an offhand comment from Uncle Rodney how he always seemed to end up in that particular bed and how it ought to have a name plate for him. Some years later I actually 'got' the joke and made him one just to tease him. I mounted it on the bed and everything, but that is another story.

As we neared the bed I could see shadows of the my dad's team by the bed but the only voice I really could hear was Uncle Rodney's. He has that thing about him. He can be so loud, but I've learned that his bark is worse than his bite.

My mom pulled back the curtains and we entered. My dad was lying on the bed propped up by some pillows. He looked…..pale and it kinda shocked me the amount of wires and machines he was hooked up to. But he was awake and when he saw me he flashed a smile in my direction. It was the smile he reserved just for me and it always made me feel better. Aunt Teyla was kind enough to give us some space and discretely excused Uncle Ronon and Rodney and her. Uncle Rodney didn't seem to get it at first, but left anyway. He complained that he had plenty of work to catch up on anyway.

So it was just my mom and I left with my dad. He looked like he was fading fast, but was trying to stay perky for me. It was pretty obvious that he was still in pain, but I could tell that he was fighting back sleep to talk to us. I noticed that my mom had taken up the empty seat next to him and was holding his hand.

"So how are you feeling?" She asked.

He flashed her the patented 'Sheppard cocky grin' and replied, "I'm fine." _That is the grin that both of us pull and it always works. Well almost always!_

Mom sighed and said, "Sure you are. Just like always right?" _Always….this must be a tradition for them or something._

"Yep I'm just peachy."

Uncle Carson entered and cut into the conversation, "Yes I am sure you are Colonel, but you need to rest now. I think you've had enough excitement for a while. You did have quite a serious surgery this morning."

"Aww doc five more minutes?" my dad whined.

"Yeah pretty please," I added giving the puppy dog eyes for effect.

Well that did the trick (I am so spoiled) and Uncle Carson reluctantly agreed. "Five more minutes then I expect you to rest Colonel or I'll have to break out the sharp pointy needles." He walked away muttering to himself about difficult dark haired colonels and their sneaky offspring.

When he was out of earshot my mom sighed and said, "John, you are a bad influence on Jace you know that? I saw that puppy dog look. That was your doing."

We both looked the picture of innocence and my dad replied, "I have no idea what you are talking about."

"I'm sure you don't," she replied, "Come on Jace it's time to give your dad some rest. We'll be back after dinner to visit."

She gave my dad's hand a final squeeze and started to make her way to the exit. I looked up at my dad and he said, "You know, I'm sure Uncle Rodney would love some company now. Why don't you go keep an eye on him for me," his eyes twinkled mischievously.

I looked up at him with my 'innocent' face on and replied, "Okie dokie daddy, I'll go see what he's up to." Meaning of course that I was totally going to go bug Uncle Rodney for him.

My dad and I are terrible my mom says. I say that we just know how to have fun.

I shot out of the infirmary and made my way to go pay Uncle Meredith a visit. Yep, everything was getting better now. I felt pretty confidant that dad was going to be fine. After dinner we visited him again and he was a lot cheerier than before. I told him how I created a post-it note mural on one of the tables in Rodney's lab. It was a bowl of lemons. He got a kick out of that. Let's just say mom wasn't too happy and Uncle Rodney was rather mad. Ooops.

Two weeks later he was out of the infirmary. He had had three failed escape attempts. One was with Uncle Rodney and involved messing with the lights and string (I don't want to know), the second was with Major Lorne and had something to do with sticky tack and cake, and the last one he tried to have me help. Let's just say it didn't work so well. The nurses caught on too quickly and Uncle Carson is just too smart for his own good. But that is another story as well. Yeah it might not've worked but I did snag a box of rubber gloves. Hmm water balloons anyone?


	10. Chapter 10: Taken Pt 1

_Author's Note: Just a reminder, Weir is still in charge of Atlantis (the whole Nanite fiasco never happened thus never removing her from the city). The rest of season four still happens pretty much the same—i.e. clone Carson and Teyla's pregnancy. Season five, also fits nicely (minus the GiM Nanite plot)—Just turning a blind eye to that in favor of some Sparky._

_0o0_

Summary: Jason is "forced" to chronicle one of the most terrifying and dangerous experiences in his young life, as per his mom and therapist's instructions.

0o0

Taken Pt. 1/3

0o0

Expectations can be powerful motivators, and for me I sometimes wonder if I can ever do enough to meet them. All my life I people have expected the world, and more, from me. I cannot show weakness; I must be funny; I should always set a good example; I should excel at learning; I am gene boy; and I can never quit. People expect my mom's diplomacy and people skills, and my dad's resourcefulness and strength.

That is not too much to ask. It is?

While I love my parents to pieces, sometimes I wish the roles they played were not quite so crucial to the overall success of everyone. I mean, how can I ever live up to my mom's negotiation skills or my dad's ability to command--let alone both of them? I am just one kid, but I happen to be one with an extraordinary parentage.

However, as the son of the base's two top leaders I not only face extreme pressure to live up to them, but those around me feel pressured to make sure I am well looked after. I can't go anywhere without an escort it seems—(seriously you should see how well I am protected when a delegation visits the city with whom I never even come in contact).

Someone constantly checks on me or secretly tells one or both of my parents where I am and what I am up to. I even think Uncle Radek changed the city's sensors to pinpoint my exact location so that I can be accounted for at a moment's notice—and other kids complain about paranoid parents.

Perhaps they believe I am fragile or made of glass or something, Uncle Meredith always complains that if anything happens to me on his watch, my dad will "have his ass before turning him over to Uncle Ronon."

I suppose what happened to me at the Harvest celebration two years ago probably warrants all of the additional security, and I blame it all on my family's knack for attracting trouble. Why do I need to be punished by never getting to go anywhere on my own? (Unless of course, I ditch my guard, which is a skill I am improving).

So, here is a full account, as per Dr. Heightmeyer's demand--she says verbalizing my feelings or writing them out will help me "cope" with some unresolved issues she thinks I still harbor (even though it was more than two years ago).

I find this completely ridiculous, but mother agrees with the necessity of it to help "foster my recovery and aid my well-being" after I sort of let it slip that I have occasional nightmares at my last psychological check up. Personally, I like my dad's advice--it's like a band-aid: The faster you pull it off the less it hurts. Trust him to eloquently impart really profound advice, thanks dad.

Back to the first time I started to see how dangerous the galaxy can be. Sure, I lived through various situations that placed the city on alert, but never before had I born witness to the danger first hand. Oh no, I certainly got a crash course in reality that rocked the very foundations of my cushy world. I learned that it is one thing to hear stories of daring escapades, adventures, battles, and rescues but it is quite another to see it, feel it, and breathe it.

To begin, the annual Harvest celebration, held on New Athos, brings together all of the primary trading allies of both Atlantis and the Athosians. Every year the Athosians host an enormous gathering that allows all of their trading allies to party for three days. Entertainment abounds as well as various carnival type booths and friendly competitions. Traditionally all of the Atlantean children are brought along for the fun, and the expedition members rotate in and out of the party depending on the duty roster.

Having just turned sixteen that year, I was thrilled at the prospect of reaching the Athosian age of maturation. No restrictions and no limitations to which festivities I could partake in would be enforced. (And no more "kiddy-table.")

As planned, I packed a small bag that morning with clothes and made my way into the gate room to wait for the rest of our group. Not seeing anyone else scheduled to depart yet, I plopped down on the bottom step of the stairs, pulling out my PSP. I was anxious to get off the base, what can I say? The only time I ever got to leave, other than trips to Earth, was when we visited New Athos.

"Somebody is slightly impatient," a young female voice interrupted my concentration, "And you are only asking to lose that thing off world."

I looked up to see Lena throw her bag down next to mine. Lena, of course, is the daughter of Ronon Dex and Amelia Banks. The story of their relationship is rather interesting.

From what I gather, when Uncle Ronon first arrived on Atlantis, he was not emotionally ready for a relationship—but since most everybody was afraid of him it worked. Slowly he warmed up, and by the expedition's fifth year on Atlantis (Ronon's fourth year) he saw another side of Aunt Amelia and knew he was ready. As a couple, they are admittedly well matched. She, with all of her martial arts training, compliments his skills honed from years of running. Both a little introverted, they each recognize that words do not always get the job done when quick thinking and action might. Still, for anyone who knows them well, both have a devastatingly wicked sense of humor.

As their offspring, Lena is no different. She has her parent's big brown eyes, long silky brown hair, seemingly ever-present tan glow (compared to my paleness!), tall-athletic build, and dry sense of humor. Yes, she is eighteen months younger than me, but she is my best friend here on Atlantis.

Maybe we ended up so close because from the beginning both of our parents took to educating us in a similar manner. Both of our dads feel it only served to benefit us if we could defend ourselves from early on. Plus, living on the base presented us with dangers normal children did not always face. Of course our moms then balanced it all out by setting us up with some of Earth's most brilliant minds as our tutors. Yes(!?!).......

So, even though I have a slight age/height advantage, she still beats me with her crazy Satedan speed. Like now as she snatched away my PSP, I refused to take the bait, and leaned back against the stairs.

Looking up at her as she dangled my game just out of reach, I replied sarcastically to her taunt, "I won't lose that off-world. I am not a McKay after all, so I don't intend on playing it the whole time either."

A high pitched and whiney voice accosted us as its owner emerged from down the hall, "I do not appreciate that one iota mister."

Attempting to hide grins, Lena and I watched Uncle Rodney enter the Gateroom carrying a large pack in one hand, and a data pad in the other. Continuing to vent, he added, "Didn't your parents teach you to respect your elders? Oh right, I forget who I'm talking to. Elizabeth and Amelia sure, but I fail to see why your dads thought fit to reproduce."

I smiled cheekily at him, "Sorry Uncle Meredith. I only pointed out the Lena that _some_ people are too dependent on their technology for entertainment."

"Hi Uncle Rodney," added Lena sweetly as McKay sighed in disgust at my apology—she always did a better job than me at diffusing the situation. I had far too much fun egging him on. Lena liked to tease him too, but she observed the fine line that kept her from ever _truly_ getting under his skin.

For example, as a joke when I was little, my dad taught me to call him "Uncle Meredith." Once I understood how much he disliked the name, I continued to keep up the game—now both my dad and I do it just to annoy him.

Uncle Rodney rolled his eyes, "I don't know what you Sheppards think, but I am not someone to be trifled with. Humph, the number of times I've saved this city, not to mention everyone in it. Why I remember the time that I--..."

"Oh stow it McKay," came an all too familiar drawl. Lena and I smiled at each other. Trust my dad to have impeccable timing when it came to interrupting an infamous McKay rant. "It's not like you did it all by yourself, most times you did have some help."

McKay spluttered in disgust turning to face my dad, finger pointed in his direction, "Oh really, I'll have you know I've come up with plenty of plans to save your sorry butt all by myself, AND another thing..."

"Gentlemen are we ready?" My mom's voice interjected from above as walked down the stairs towards us. She always has this presence around her--calm, cool, and collected. It baffles me that she is always so poised, but I guess that's what makes her so good at what she does.

Not quite willing to let my impertinence drop, Uncle Rodney completely ignored her attempts to end the argument, "Elizabeth, your son is completely out of hand. He is disrespectful and rude to others and--"

Here he stopped to take a breath, and Uncle Ronon walked in from a side hall, with Aunt Amelia in tow, to finish McKay's thought for him, "Sounds like you."

Frustrated, Uncle Rodney pouted, "What? Is this pick on McKay Day? Did I miss a memo or something?"

By now the entire group was smiling at the antics of McKay. Trust him to blow the situation completely out of proportion. Looking around at our party, my dad asked cheerily, "Okay gang, are we about ready to leave now?"

"Yes," chorused everybody except Uncle Rodney who rolled his eyes at my dad.

As we gathered up our things, Aunt Jenifer rushed in red faced and still adjusting the straps of her bag, "I'm terribly sorry! Thank goodness I didn't miss you guys. There was a minor crisis in the infirmary, maybe 'crisis' is the wrong word," the flustered doctor clarified upon seeing the questioning looks of my parents, Lena's parents, and Uncle Rodney, "Anyway, a dispute broke out and Dr. Cole needed me to put down the final word."

"But it is resolved?" My mom clarified, fully prepared to delay leaving in order to do her job—my dad mirroring her posture stood just to the right of her. It always amazes me that they put off getting together for so long; at least that is what everybody tells me. Apparently, they kept trying to bury their obvious attraction for the good of their jobs.

Anyway, the eight of us grabbed our bags as Chuck dialed up New Athos. Half the population of Atlantis was already there, and we were the last group leaving that morning. After lunch another large group would depart for New Athos, leaving only a skeleton crew left on the city. Those unlucky enough to stay behind were to be cycled throughout the next twenty-four hours to ensure everybody had ample time to attend the festivities.

Upon exiting the wormhole, something I wish I got to do more often, we could see the path leading to the village lined with colorful streamers and lanterns that would be lit once the night settled it. Overall, the setting was as beautiful as it could be as we walked down the path, my dad leading the way with my mom, Lena and I following, Uncle Rodney and Aunt Jenifer trailing behind, and Uncle Ronon and Aunt Amelia bringing up the rear. As I walked, I noticed how happy my parents seemed. During the day, they focused so much on their jobs and the wellbeing of the city that they sometimes forgot about enjoying the day. Hand in hand they strolled along, my dad whispering things in my mom's ear that would make her laugh.

"Elizabeth! John! Ronon! Rodney! Welcome everyone." The sound of Aunt Teyla's cheerful greeting shattered my musings and I focused my attention on her waving to us. She stood at the entrance to the village along with Uncle Evan.

"Dr. Weir," Major Lorne nodded respectfully to my mom before turning to my dad, "Colonel. A word?"

Since we always provide the security for this occasion, I assume that is what they talked about as my dad followed the Major a short distance away from the group.

"Teyla, is everything going alright?" My mom queried kindly, looking over in the direction of my dad—trying not to become too preoccupied or worried.

Aunt Teyla smiled widely and replied, "Do not worry Elizabeth. Everyone is getting along quite well, and there have been few problems. I think Major Lorne is just concerned for this evening when the drink will flow and the chance for quarrels between intoxicated people increase."

"Yes, yes, yes," dismissed Uncle Rodney, latching onto the conversation, "Drunken people who may have too much fun. It's funny what our military stoops down to take care of."

"Rodney! That is rude," Aunt Jenifer chided as she hit her husband's arm, "Teyla, Elizabeth don't listen to him. Excuse us while I go feed Rodney before he gets even crankier."

The sound of Uncle Rodney's protests soon faded away, as Aunt Jenifer guided him into the bustle of the village activities. Barely a second after they left, my dad walked back over to the group and cheerfully asked, "So what's the plan?"

Happy to showcase the event, Teyla enthusiastically began to describe the day's activities, "Many vendors from last year have returned, setting up booths along the main area of the village. All manner of games are organized in the field, and tonight after the celebratory opening feast, the traditional game of hide-and-go-seek will take place. It was a good year, so we have partners from twelve different worlds present."

"That's wonderful Teyla!" My mom congratulated her. Each year, the number of worlds attending grew, adding to the diversity and attendance. I think the more people allowed for a more rambunctious party, mainly due to the comfort of knowing the Atlanteans provided the security—no chance of anybody crashing the party unannounced.

"Sounds good Teyla," Uncle Ronon commented, "Amelia and I are going to go win some games."

"Ronon means we are going to _play nice_ and not offend anyone or _challenge anyone unnecessarily THIS YEAR_," Aunt Amelia corrected, referring to last year when Uncle Ronon got into a particularly vicious shooting competition that lasted half of the day. Of course there was the year of the infamous drinking contest, but that is another story entirely.

I nudged Lena with my elbow, and she just shook her head in amusement at her parents. Deciding that we needed to get away from them, I said casually, "Well, Lena and I are going to go find the Torren and his friends. 'Kay? Bye."

We turned around quickly and started to leave, unfortunately not before both sets of parents began their litany of rules:

"No wandering away from the village," cautioned my mom sternly.

Stopping dead in our tracked we replied in a defeated tone (we heard the same thing every time we went off-world and separated from them), "Okay."

"No getting into trouble," warned Aunt Amelia, eyes narrowing in my direction.

Lena started to agree, but I cut her off feigning annoyance, "Why are you looking at me? Honestly, it's not like I go looking for trouble."

Everybody laughed at that and Uncle Ronon countered, "Yeah, but you are a Sheppard. Trouble finds you. Lena, you know what to do."

Lena smirked in my direction, "Yep. Don't worry, I'll keep Jace safe."

"That's comforting," I murmured to nobody in particular, starting to turn away again. But not before my dad imparted his own advice, thwarting our attempts to leave.

"No intentional terrorizing of certain scientists i.e. your Uncle Rodney."

"No alcohol!" Both my mom and Aunt Amelia stressed this point. Trust them to observe the American drinking age limit in another galaxy. Technically, Lena and I weren't even Americans because we weren't born on Earth. Seriously, if one or both of us decided to live on Earth, our birth certificates would probably be forged at the SGC or something.

"If you need us or get in trouble what do you do?"

Sighing resignedly, I replied automatically, "We alert one of the marines stationed every fifty feet or so. They will contact one or more of you, and will escort/help us find you."

Lena pouted sweetly, her big brown eyes staring at the adults and her lower lip protruding ever so slightly, "Now can we go?"

"Yes," they agreed, finally letting us leave! "Have fun!"

"Meet you at dinner," I called as we walked away, trying not to hurry too fast, and betray our desire to get away _that_ much. It is not that we do not like our parents, but sometimes they hovered too much.

0o0

First we met up with Torren, who knows all of the Athosians, even though he spends much of his time on Atlantis with his mom. I think, perhaps, he works so hard to establish relationships with all of them because he wants to lead them one day.

Along with him, and his friends we wandered around the booths and played games until it was time for the feast. Coming to the Harvest celebration is always such a joy because we get the chance to interact with many people our own age. On Atlantis, there are so many adults that initially our social skills were not nearly as effective on a peer-to-peer level as they were with adults. Perhaps that is why our parents gave us more freedom away from their direct supervision, that way we could be around people our own age.

Now at these events dinner is a great sight to behold. Tables bedecked with enumerable dishes filled the center of the village, surrounded by more strings of hanging lanterns to create atmosphere and light. Lena and I sat together in the middle of one of the table surrounded by a mix of new friends and older friends--sharing a great meal together.

A little ways down the table I saw my parents laughing and joking with Aunt Teyla, Uncle Ronon, Aunt Amelia, and Uncle Halling. Torren was moved down a little ways to be near his father, Uncle Kanaan, but Jinto sat near us even though he is very much an adult now. Uncle Meredith was bothering Uncle Evan and Uncle Radek as they discussed various traditions. Aunt Jenifer was across the table from her husband talking to two of the healers from off-world—no doubt discussing various medical topics.

As wonderful as the feast was, the real highlight of the evening was the ten year long, traditional first night of the festival, game of hide-and-go-seek. Two teams faced off in fun as they tried to be the last one standing at the end of one hour, with the most remaining active participants. And this year, Lena and I were both finally allowed to participate in the principle game! (As opposed to the youth game that takes place early in the afternoon).

The premise of the game included a certain sectioned off area near the village--deemed safe enough to romp around in the setting sun without causing injury. Each participant armed with a flag and flashlight set off to avoid being caught, while hunting those of the opposing side. To 'catch' an opponent, all one needed do was to remove another's flag and expel them from the game. The team with the most remaining participants would win.

In order to better our chances, Lena and I decided to work together to avoid losing our flags, knowing the odds of us getting caught quickly were very high. Luckily we ended up on Uncle Ronon's team, a good thing because it was common knowledge that his team tended to win every year. My dad on the other hand, tended to lose every year to the ex-runner, but I don't blame him--Uncle Ronon is the ultimate at hide-and-go seek. He did not evade the wraith for seven years due to pure luck.

Lena and I took off into the encroaching darkness, careful to keep quiet so as to attract as little attention as possible. We knew that the biggest cause for getting caught early lay with leading the opposing side directly to you with noise.

She took point and motioned for me to follow. I kept an eye out for potential targets as she worked to keep us hidden--the basic survival courses our parent's forced upon us were actually paying off. I knew their importance, but I never thought how useful they'd be in a game of hide-and-seek.

We made our way to an edge of the playing zone in order to keep from being snuck up on--crouching behind a fallen tree trunk. On the way, we nearly got caught twice, but avoided it in the nick of time by hiding in a tent and beneath some bushes. Our opponents, eager for a quick catch, ran right by us!

Peering over the edge of the fallen tree, I felt a strange sense of unease creep over me, something did not seem right. Listening to the far off laughter and playful screams from other players being found did nothing to assuage my gut as the hair on the back of my neck stood up.

"What's wrong," Lena asked seriously, noting my apprehension.

Frowning, I whispered back, "Something doesn't feel right. I think somebody's coming."

She fell silent for a minute, listening before replying, "Somebody's there, but they seem to be taking this game very seriously."

Making up my mind to check out the sneaking shape that approached our position, I turned to Lena and whispered, "Hang tight. I'll be right back."

Her internal sensors must have been going off too, as she hesitated before saying, "Be careful. Something doesn't quite seem right about this to me either."

I snickered quietly, trying to lighten the mood, "Please. It's just a game after all."

Oh, the irony.

As quiet as I could be, and I had had some pretty good teachers, I snuck out of our hiding spot to take up a position overlooking the trail we followed to get here. I peered heavily into the waning light, and I was finally satisfied that nothing was coming—the shape I had seen was gone. I resigned myself to the fact that I was most likely paranoid and probably imagined it.

Slinking back to the tree trunk Lena hid behind, I whispered, "Sorry false alarm."

However, the sight that greeted me contained nothing 'false' whatsoever. For behind the tree crouched a dark-clad figure holding an extremely sharp looking knife to Lena's throat.

Her eyes locked with mine, full of fear, but I saw her calculating her options; this was definitely not part of the game, and the situation did not look exactly promising.

Licking my lips I asked, in as brave of a voice as I could muster, "Uh...what's going on here?"

The man, dressed unlike any of the allied people I had seen roaming around during the day, replied coldly, "You both are coming with me quietly, or you will find yourself lacking your pretty little friend; which would be a shame."

"Really," I countered, "What makes you think we'll just follow and submit when there is only one of you and two of us?"

"Um Jace," questioned Lena staring pointedly at me, "What are you doing? Hello, knife to my throat!"

I suppose it is just my nature to be a smartass, but while I talked I also provided the distraction for Lena to make her move—our parents did not raise us without skills after all.

"Yes, you children must be rather stupid to think you can challenge me," began the man, "I am armed and you are no--..."

Further conversation was cut off as Lena jabbed him in the stomach, knocking the breath from him, and spun out of range of the knife. I lunged at the man in an attempt to disarm him, figuring without him in possession of the knife, we would be in a better position to escape and find help.

I knocked the knife out of his hands, but the momentum caused me to roll off him. I tried to regain balance quickly, but he was faster, breaking a rather large branch off of the dead trunk and swung it at my head.

In the beginning I thought the two of us might have had a chance to get out of there in one piece. I mean, we both come from strong backgrounds that taught us to defend ourselves. But, I conveniently forgot that the fact that I was sixteen, Lena was fourteen and a half, and our attacker was probably twice my age, weight, and skill set. I might have had some skills, but not nearly enough skills to take on a full-blooded and trained soldier that he obviously was.

The limb crashed into the side of my head, and I heard Lena's hysterical scream, "Jason," before the darkness claimed me.

I was out cold before I hit the ground.

--TBC--

_Author's note 2: So this is a completed work containing three parts. The remaining two will be posted throughout the week as I double check them for errors. Reviews would be love. This is something I started a year ago, wrote in a hurry, and let sit for eleven months. Now, in fixing it, I still love the idea, but am curious to know what others think._

_-Lemons_


	11. Chapter 11: Taken Pt 2

Summary: Jason is "forced" to chronicle one of the most terrifying and dangerous experiences in his young life, as per his mom and therapist's instructions.

0o0

Taken Pt. 2/3

0o0

Goodness only knows how much later I regained consciousness, Lena believes only a couple hours passed, but I awoke to a pounding headache. Apparently, my dad says head injuries can be particularly nasty and to avoid them at all costs. Of course that bit of advice hardly helps me after the fact. I should have paid more attention to what Aunt Jenifer said to do when it inevitably happens.

I cracked my eyes open to see that the sky was much darker, yet the stars seemed different. I heard Lena whisper, "They gated us to a different planet."

I swallowed and replied, "Oh. That's not good." I realized quickly that this tidbit of information was not going to help a rescue effort one iota.

She nodded solemnly, "Nope. How are you doing? That guy hit you pretty hard. Actually the boss of them was rather angry. Apparently they weren't supposed to harm us."

I tried to raise my hand to my head, but found my arms tied behind my back, so I sat up slowly--trying not to lose my dinner—had we really just been feasting mere hours ago?—and scooted closer to where Lena sat. "So, this is good," I quipped noting her attempt to stay strong, though her chocolate eyes betrayed her, "Someone likes us, because they went through a whole bunch of trouble to get us here; alive."

"Actually," drawled a different voice, "This is just the holding spot, for we will depart once I am paid. Then you kiddies get turned over to a new master."

I daringly shifted my focus towards the new voice, whose owner was large, ugly, and covered in tattoos. Mom's negotiation skills out the window, I took a leaf out of Dad's book and taunted, "SO, according to you, you are just the errand boy sent to fetch us. Nice job."

This earned a growl sent in my direction as Tats began to pace around the fire, before he stalked away entirely. Two goons, however, moved closer keeping guns trained on the two of us. The one on the left, of course, was the guy responsible for my current headache.

"You know Jace," Lena cautioned sagely, "I don't think you should egg him on. That's kind of what got you in trouble in the first place."

I sighed, wanting nothing more than to lay back and sleep, "Yeah, but I did stave off a long winded rant. Seriously we'll be fine. You don't think everyone at home is going to take this lying down."

"Yeah," replied Lena in agreement, "I'm sure your dad and my dad will be pissed enough to send an army out after us if need be."

"Exactly," I yawned, resting my throbbing head on her shoulder, "We just have to stay alive long enough for them to find us."

Sometime later, as the sky began to lighten revealing warm pinks and oranges, Lena shifted waking me up. As I followed her nod, I noticed five strangers approaching with Tats; four big strapping men, and an imposing petite woman who looked to be their leader. The woman, dressed entirely in black leather, possessed strong features and cascading dark brown hair—almost black.

Tats gestured in our general direction and boomed haughtily, "Our agreement. I got 'em, so now you need to pay up."

"Yes," the woman replied slowly, as if addressing someone of lower intelligence, "You present me with two Atlantean children, but have you verified their identities?"

"Well," began Tats unconvincingly as he shifted his weight from foot to foot, "They seemed to be the only two who could fit. None of the other kids wore clothes like them and...."

The woman knelt down to peer directly into my face; I guess she was looking for something in particular. I met her gaze the entire time, yet the sinking feeling in my stomach only grew. I got the sick impression that her plans had little to do with us, but rather who we were related to. Why else would our exact identities be of such importance?

Satisfied she drew herself up to her full height and said softly, "Yes, this is definitely Sheppard's child. The resemblance is uncanny."

Damn. This did not bode well for us.

Why did I have to resemble my dad so much? Maybe it's the hair. But I can't do a thing about it; it just naturally sticks up everywhere. True, I definitely inherited my dad's facial structure and pointed ears. Whoa, back up a second.....I am being used to get to my dad? Well this sucks, and I had a feeling it was only going to get worse.

Turning to Lena she continued, "Obviously you are a byproduct of the Satedan and Atlantean. Not many have such a distinct coloring or beauty as you."

Getting fed up I narrowed my eyes and responded cheekily, "So you gonna fill us in, or do we have to guess everything?"

Patience has never been my strong suit, yet I can play a mean round of 'the staring contest' if I have to. So after a few minutes the woman narrowed her eyes and turned to Tats saying dangerously, "Yes my men will take these off your hands."

Tats looks up sharply and questioned, "My money?"

Her smile was deceptively sweet, but her eyes betrayed the evil within, "Moran will take care of that. Although we agreed that they were not to be harmed, so I refuse to pay fully for damaged goods."

That statement only confirmed that during her little examination she noticed the large bruise on my head.....great. It was one thing to be held captive by a semi-bumbling idiot, and quite another by an astute and calculating foe.

Turning to us she quickly whipped out a stunner and in seconds Lena and I were rendered unconscious--again in my case. I can only wonder if the imposing woman actually paid Tats because she didn't seem like the type that ever really meant to.

0o0

Even later I awoke to find my hands free, but also that I occupied my first prison cell. My dad later said that it was a mark of growing up, but considering mom smacked him upside the head after that, I take it as a negative life milestone.

Lena had also been thrown in there with me, but she will still out as far as I could tell. So, I took the opportunity to take in my surroundings.

The dimensions of the room afforded us with a space that was about eight by eight, and a recessed window that let in a sliver of light. Three of the walls were stone, enclosing a stone floor and ceiling, yet the fourth wall, facing the hallway, consisted of metal bars. However all the lovely view presented was another stone wall. How wonderful?

I pushed myself up and walked over to peer out the bars, yet I saw nothing of interest in either direction of the vacant halls. Sitting back down next to Lena, I took stock of my head. The throbbing had finally stopped, but I felt a rather large goose-egg on the side of my head, tender to the touch and coupled with a bit of dried blood that I wiped off with my sleeve.

Thinking back I was glad I chose to wear a long-sleeve dark blue shirt and black pants, durable and comfy.

The sudden movement of Lena regaining consciousness brought me out of my musings, and I turned to see if she was okay. I've heard plenty of stories about the after effects of stunning, but the whole "pins and needles" description certainly fits best.

Lena sat up slowly, surveying the cell, and asked, "So I take it we are not guests in the lovely infirmary?"

I chuckled, amazed at how our sense of humor still remained in this dark situation, "Nope, we're guests of some other dark, creepy, place. The good news, I guess, is that our host hasn't emerged yet."

"Lovely," she said deadpan, "I'd hate to miss the initial meet and greet."

Further conversation halted as the sounds of an opening door captured our attention. Approaching footsteps beat in time to the pounding in my chest as three armed men appeared outside the cell bars. Two drew their guns and pointed them at us as the third unlocked the cell.

Motioning to me, the man demanded, "Come," causing me to wonder why the 'powers that be' caused me to be so lucky.

I stood, slightly in front of Lena, but didn't budge while I decided how cooperative I wanted to be. Yet as the man glared at me, I realized it was probably in our best interests to at least try and play along until we figured out why we were here. Plus, the guns trained on us seemed incentive enough.

Still, I said sarcastically, "What, no 'please'?"

All this got me was a smack to the already bruised side of my head as one of the guards _guided_ me out of the cell down the hall. Yes, this looked promising.

I looked back at Lena, who gave me an encouraging smile—one that I was grateful for even though I sensed she was just as terrified as me.

The guards led me through several twisting halls, enough to completely baffle any attempts to memorize where the heck we were going. Finally we arrived at an ornate wooden door that opened to reveal a plush office of some kind.

The men roughly pushed me into a chair directly facing the large wooden desk occupying the center of the room. Sitting opposite from me sat a grey haired man, fingertips resting together under his piercing gaze.

The goons left and I got the distinct feeling that this was the mastermind behind the whole thing. Basically, I knew I was in way over my head. So I did the smart thing, completely hard for me, but smart nonetheless: I kept silent.

Meeting the man's gaze, I noticed he seemed keenly interested in appraising my appearance. Gee, another time I really cursed inheriting my dad's hair, facial structure, nose, ears, etc. BUT I did not get his hazel eyes. Nope, instead, my mom passed onto me her piercing green eyes. Eyes, I always get lost in when I take time to just observe my mom at work.

Anyway, the man sitting before me seemed pretty old. Yet, he struck me as the type that, in his prime, was a formidable man, and still highly dangerous.

Finally, he spoke in a cool tone that at the same time held an undercurrent of pure ice, "So, you are the son of Dr. Weir and Colonel Sheppard correct?"

Crossing my arms I replied nonchalantly (I have a bad habit of testing my boundaries too much), "Nope, sadly I don't think I am that lucky."

The man smiled thinly and replied, "Please the resemblance is remarkably uncanny," the smile faded completely leaving nothing but veiled anger as the man continued, "I've encountered your father too many times. You sound just like him."

"Reeeallly," I said noncommittally, all the while dread grew inside of me. Who had my dad managed to piss off this much? I only knew snippets of the struggles the expedition faced in the early days. This man had to be from then, because I had no idea who he was.

The man sitting across the desk leaned forward to give me a hard stare, "Yes. I take it you are Jason."

Completely confused and taken off guard that this man knew exactly who I was the entire time, I attempted to salvage the situation by saying, "Okay so you obviously knew who I am, but it's only fair I know who you are right?"

This brought an even stranger reaction from the man, as he sat back in his chair laughing, "Alright. I am Commander Acustus Kolya."

Almost totally baffled, I replied, "Um....right is that supposed to mean something?"

Yet, in the back of my mind I wracked my brain trying to figure out where I knew this name from. True my dad does not always talk about his past, but some stories from the early days still exist and I admit to some "recreational" hacking of the database. Hey, I have Uncle Rodney as a tutor and mad hacking skills provide access to good blackmail material.

A few seconds later the answer hit me like lightning: Kolya was one of the expedition's oldest and evilest foes. I remembered reading with horror, the report of his failed attempt to take the city that had almost cost my mother her life--well before she and my dad admitted they harbored feelings for each other. Thinking hard, I recalled another file that mentioned several encounters between him and my dad's team, but the specifics were too protected and I did not have the skills to access them at the time. But, wait, the last file I found, and read, contradicted everything.

Completely confused I asked, "Wait, I remember you now. Aren't you supposed to be dead?"

The man sat back and simply smirked at me. A deep, evil smile that reeked of smugness wrapped in self-fulfillment. "Ah, you have heard of me. Yes, it might have appeared I had been bested. But on the contrary I am quite alive and well at this point. And now, I think that we need to open up this conversation a bit. Let's turn this into a family affair, shall we?"

Before I knew it, two goons waltzed in and grabbed my arms, leading me from the room. However, I was not led back to the cell I initially woke up in, but rather to another chamber entirely. A sinking feeling hit my stomach as I saw two chairs resting back to back strategically placed in front of a rather ancient looking camera. Bound to one of the chairs, sat Lena, looking as pissed as I'd ever seen her, because she seemed to have figured out that we were merely bait. I smiled at her as I notice one of the guards sported a split lip.

Moments later, my captors forced me into the empty chair. Even though Lena was doing her utmost to appear cool, I could feel her trembling ever so behind me. Honestly, I wasn't doing much better myself. I was completely terrified of the horrific capabilities of the man who kidnapped us. I was terrified of what he might make my parents do as a result of our capture. But at the same time, I did not just want to be bait for someone else. Every fiber of my being rejected that idea.

At that moment I realized that we needed to do whatever we could to help the situation. I whispered to Lena, "Are you okay?"

I felt her sigh as she replied, "Just peachy. You realize we are screwed right?"

Now was not the time to give up, and I whispered back softly, "No. We just have to keep our hopes up and look for opportunities."

In reply, she took my hand and squeezed it. Just then the woman who stunned us sauntered in behind Kolya. Suddenly it hit me just how similar they appeared, so I ventured a comment on Lena's behalf--since she had not been invited earlier--"So, Lena meet our host, Kolya and his girlfriend? Sister? Cousin? Crazy chick that stunned us earlier?"

The imposing, but petite woman narrowed her eyes in disgust at my direction—I sensed some deep-seated resentment from her towards me. However Kolya just looked amused, "I guess that cheeky sense of humor runs in the family. This is my little sister Serena."

Great, she obviously looks pissed, and I can barely read him at all. Yet, from all that I remembered about him, he was a huge threat. Further conversation was stalled as two guards approached us from behind and proceeded to gag us. Three words: dis-gust-ing.

A goon fired up the camera, but the Kolya moved to stand off to the side. A techie, (Why do they look the same no matter where you go?) nodded to the younger Kolya who spoke into the camera, "Oh Atlantis, I would very much like to speak to you about something you may be missing."

The camera panned to us. _Oh crap, this is not going to be good._ I sat there, bound and gagged and completely helpless: three things I was coming to absolutely hate.

I can only imagine what went on at the other end of the call. Chuck probably received the transmission and alerted the senior staff. My mom and dad would have come rushing into the control room with Aunt Teyla, Uncle Ronon, Aunt Amelia and Uncle Rodney close on their heels. I imagine Aunt Jenifer would have been sent for immediately, arriving minutes later.

With my heart pounding in my chest I heard my mom reply, "This is Dr. Weir what do you want?"

Serena smiled wickedly and said darkly, "Oh good, Dr. Weir. I am so glad you answered, see I happen to have to guests here, one of which I believe is related to you."

The camera panned to us again, I tried to look as calm as possible, a giant feat because this whole situation sent off alarm bells. I was just waiting for the evil chick to make her point, but my parents also needed to know about Kolya! Well, the old Kolya. He was playing a sneaky game by not making the demands in person.

My mom apparently thought along similar lines and I heard her ask harshly, "Who are you and what exactly do you want?"

"I am Serena, a sister of someone you might have forgotten, and I simply want to make a straight trade." Yep, that wasn't vague at all.

"Oh, that was so helpful: 'A sister of someone you might have forgotten.' Please, you will have to do better than that sister," I recognized the grating voice of Uncle Rodney. I knew he had to be watching. Mom was probably frustrated that he interrupted her "negotiations," but I thought he had a very valid point. Still, I can only imagine how difficult the entire ordeal was on our parents.

Anger obviously radiated from Serena as she said coldly, "I am Serena Kolya. I believe you knew my brother did you not _Dr. McKay_?"

_Oh crap, oh crap, oh crap_..............the only phrase that kept running through my head.

A new voice entered the conversation; so serious and so devoid of playful sarcasm that I barely recognized it, "So you're Kolya's little sister. How nice, but you still haven't mentioned what you want in exchange for two kids." This was no longer my fun-loving, let's play tricks on Uncle Meredith involving lemons, Jumper flying, escapade having dad. No, this was the full Military Commander of Atlantis, leader of SGA-1, military pilot Colonel Sheppard, that had helped thwart the Genii, Wraith, Replicators, Hybrids, Michael, and countless other threats to our home.

Serena smiled coldly at the camera, a maniacal spark in her eyes, obviously pleased with how the conversation was progressing, "You Colonel."

There it was again; the terrible sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach. Again I pictured the scene in my head. My mom would be furious, reluctant to let dad go, and terrified to refuse for my sake. Uncle Ronon probably started pacing ages ago, already resolved to charge in, guns blazing to get his daughter back. Uncle Rodney, I expect, was typing furiously away at his laptop in an attempt to locate the signal and thus pinpoint our location, but I doubt Kolya was dumb enough for that.

The seconds slowly ticked by and Serena goaded, "Well Dr Weir...I guess you have to chose between your husband or your son and niece. In the end I don't care, for I will have Sheppard blood no matter what."

Just then she drew a rather long, pointy knife and walked over to place it at my throat. I tried not to squirm, but this was all kinds of bad. No less than ten ways in say "bad", "crap", or some alternative to express how screwed we were, in various languages came to mind. I suppose it was bitter irony that my linguistics lessons came to the forefront of my mind at that moment.

"Dr. Weir," she said silkily gently drawing the blade close to my neck. I could feel warm blood ooze down my neck as my pulse beat rapidly.

"STOP" cried my mom; it was a testament to her diplomatic skills that she hadn't completely lost her rationale and let her maternal instincts take over yet.

But it was my dad who spoke up, in a deadly cold voice, "Fine. The trade is good, but those two are not to be harmed in any way."

She whisked the knife away from me and replied smugly, "Excellent. I am transmitting gate coordinates as we speak. But if you attempt any type of rescue, be warned your son will feel my wrath, and I'm sure you want your Jason back in one piece. You have a six hour window to show up, unarmed on that planet."

0o0

Six hours, six measly hours to form some type of plan to save the day. Doubting thoughts filled my mind as I couldn't see any way out of this horrible situation. My dad was going to trade himself for us, but he didn't even know the worst of it all--that Commander Kolya lived. At that moment I was certain that all was lost.

So preoccupied were my thoughts that I hardly noticed the walk back to our original cell. All of my former resolve gone, I sat in the middle of the cell trying not to completely break down at the thought of what my dad was going to do. Lena sat down next to me and gave me a searching look with her big brown eyes, "Don't give up Jason. They will figure something out."

I knew she was only trying to make me feel better, but I was angry. Angry at myself for putting my parents in such a position. So I spat bitterly, "If only we hadn't gotten caught in the first place. Now my dad is going to trade himself for us. To one of the most evil men to ever come in contact with Atlantis! I hacked into the old mission files. This Kolya guy was one of my dad's worst foes. Now he's had years to stew and stay pissed at my dad. We are so screwed!"

Lena looked me directly in the eye, hers sparkling with hope, "Jason Sheppard, when have you ever backed down from a challenge? The answer is simple: instead of waiting for a rescue, we must save ourselves!"

Letting her words sink in, I knew she was right; trust her not to lose sight of everything we were ever told. Our parents did not raise us to sit back and let someone else solve our problems. We needed to find a way out of our current predicament.

Finding my hope I replied with a small smile, "Or at least cause as many problems at possible with the exchange."

--TBC--


End file.
